Creative expression: ‘Students have been discouraged from pursuing art’

Gulgee Artist of the Year Competition held among Multan’s students.

MULTAN:

“It is unfortunate that students today feel hesitant to adopt fine arts as a means of expression,” said Sofia Omar, a judge at Gulgee Artist of the Year Competition.

Omar is the first female doctorate holder from Pakistan in fine arts.

She said that students, especially those from south Punjab, were lagging behind in creative expression due to negligence of teachers and the government.

The art competition was organised by Bloomfield Hall School and was attended by nearly 140 students from Beaconhouse School, City School, Lahore Grammar School, SOS School, Jinnah Highs, Multan Public School, the Public School, British International School, Army Public School, University Model School and all branches of the Bloomfield Hall School System (southern region).

The competition held at higher-secondary level and junior level. Students had over ten hours to complete their work.

In the first category for children aged up to 9 years, the first position was secured by Sana Noor of the Army Public School.

The second position was secured by Aqsa Nawaz of Jinnah Highs and the third position was awarded to Abdur Rehman of Beaconhouse School.

In the second category for children aged up to 14 years, the first position went to Rahma Khalid of Jinnah Highs, the second position went to Huda Anwar of the Lahore Grammar School and the third position was secured by Aima Rashid also of Jinnah Highs.

Bloomfield Hall School Principal Rubina Arshad said that judging from the students’ positive feedback, the school was planning to hold a bigger event next year which would include several other schools from Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and Sahiwal.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2014.