The Jharkhand government will host what it says is the country's first exhibition of arts and crafts created by underprivileged state-owned school students providing them not only a platform to showcase their skills but also market them digitally.

The move assumes significance in a state where barring a few government schools most do not have any dedicated art or craft teachers to teach students techniques nor the students coming from financially weak backgrounds have the privilege to attend regular painting or art classes privately.

“This is the first such attempt by any state government to not only provide a platform to government school students, essentially from lower income groups, to showcase their painting and crafts skills, earn an amount from the sale of their products and also get empowered in digital marketing of their products in the long run. In a way we are nurturing them to become entrepreneurs,” said additional secretary school education and literacy department, Akshay Kumar Singh.

“The ‘child artist exhibition’ which will have an exhibition of students' products along with the display of live (demo) creation and sale of selected products will be held from November 3-5 at Audrey House in Ranchi,” informed Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) director Kiran Pasi.

“This project has been conceived on the suggestion of chief minister Hemant Soren aimed at holistic development of government school students and creates an ecosystem which can bring out the individual talent of the child, especially those who are in unprivileged conditions either due to personal issues or due to socio-economic conditions and also enable them to opt for a profession for their livelihood,” said Pasi.

“We have seen different paintings, crafts, and various other art forms of our children in various schools of Jharkhand. They reaffirmed our belief that our children are much more capable and efficient. They have enormous potential and abilities which if properly channelized and harnessed can give wonderful results,” added Singh.

“Students can also do ethnic and aesthetic forms of painting like Sohrai, Paitkar, Jado-Patia, Kohbar etc. which may, because of lack of required marketing and exposure are on the verge of extinction. In this context, this effort will also help to make them brand ambassadors of the art forms, lesser known to the world,” said the official.

Apart from exhibitions of painting and crafts, there will be live creation of the products and their sale. There will also be demo classes for visiting and participating students by eminent art and craft teachers and established digital marketing specialists will guide students to market their products.

School students will register their participation through their principal/in-charge headmaster with their respective district nodal officer. Their painting will be selected based on a committee recommendation. Participating government school students will be provided with travel, food and lodging arrangements while private school students will have to arrange their own expenses. There will be free space for exhibition, live creation and sale of their products.

“Sales proceeds from painting and craft items will be shared between students, school, and teachers on 80 per cent, 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Students will use this amount for their education and living and schools will utilise this amount for the development of painting, crafts and other art in their school,” said Kiran Pasi.