When it comes to education, most of us have a clear hierarchy in our minds as to what we consider essential. Maths and English often come first, with the Sciences at a close second, meaning ‘non-essential’ subjects such as Art and Music frequently come last. The Tory Austerity of the past decade has only reinforced this. Despite having one of the largest economies in the world, they would have us believe the education system must be streamlined drastically. Keep in mind, there is enough money for the government to quadruple spending on political advertising in social media.
This concept in and of itself is faulty. If we are to work within the framework that literacy and numeracy are the most vital aspects of learning, education in the creative arts significantly increases capacity in these areas. Arts education boosts IQ, auditory processing, verbal memory and promotes greater accuracy in literacy. The defunding of these subjects leaves these opportunities for growth and learning only to the elite who can afford the extracurricular lessons, in turn perpetuating classism and the prevention of equal educational opportunities for all. It is an uncomfortable idea to think that our educational opportunities are tied to wealth, and arts education is easy to disregard as useless. The continuation of these current policies, however, reveals a larger issue of a society where privilege and money will stay at the top and won't filter down without a fight.
Written by Imogen Aley
Artwork by Zara Masood
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