Become a certified artisan with IGNOU

16 January 2011 MEDIA RELEASE Become a certified artisan with IGNOU Yoga originated in India and has now become a way of life for masses around the world. There is also naturopathy, unani, siddha, homeopathy and ayurveda which have been a resort for many diseases sans side effects known across the world. A simple exercise of churning the milk to form butter has seen a major transformation in the health and nutrition sector. When Gandhiji spun cloth on his wheel, he started a major revolution for khadi or home grown cloth. The spinning and weaving exercise caught momentum with the artisans using jute, cane, bamboo sticks and other such products to form various other goods. India has been a hub of rich traditional knowledge since time immemorial which has been passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. It is mainly the word of mouth due to which these arts of various kinds travelled around the world today and are even kept at a higher pedestal by the locals than what the scientists or the doctors have to offer.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOUs) Institute for Vocational Education and Training (IIVET) undertook an exploratory study from March 2009 of the distinctive knowledge systems that exist in the North eastern part of India and identified various areas of work like fine arts, crafts, performing arts, folklore, languages, linguistics, traditions, rituals & practices, traditional practices of livelihood like cane and bamboo, jewellery, fabric and weaving, natural dye, construction, musical instruments, agricultural practices, health practices, environmental protection, traditional institutions and property rights, etc. Keeping in mind such areas, the university has decided to start a center for traditional knowledge systems where students, who can be the locals from the remotest village of the country, can obtain a certification in their area of expertise.The university, now fondly known as the people’s university holds the mantra of age no bar, place no bar and pace no bar to admit students.

Owing to its civilizational legacy and diversity, India is a repository of Traditional Knowledge (TK) systems. Through the ages, communities in India have developed a body knowledge that is unique and unparalleled. The sustenance and transmission of such knowledge has largely been informal. There is a large body of lay persons, ordinary householders, shepherds, farmers, artisans- both men and women and a huge corpus of scholars and seers behind the development of the traditional knowledge systems.

Their existence can be seen in domains as varied as human health, agriculture and fisheries, poultry farming, nutrition, handicrafts, performing arts, veterinary care, religion and astrology.Such a huge network of knowledge needs to be channelized properly for an optimum utilization of resources.

Unfortunately, despite of its huge and wide prevalence and utility, not enough attention has been paid to tap its potentials when seen from a policy perspective.Reasons which are attributed to such a condition are lack of research and documentation or lack of infrastructure and means to combine the insights offered by the traditional knowledge.

It is also due to the status and worth of the traditional knowledge specialists remaining unrecognized, thereby putting them in a position of distinct disadvantage as compared to modern knowledge educators. There has been a segmented approach towards research and data collection in this field which has led to a stage where such a pool of knowledge remains untapped. It is not only important to identify and document this knowledge in the North east region, where the university has discovered various domains, but such an opportunity needs to be tapped with a nation-wide operational structure.

IGNOU aims to provide the scope for the symbiotic relationship between North east and the rest of the

country and in order to achieve this, there have been recommendations by the university such as: - It will impart training, certify and provide recognition for the interested persons of the communities so that their knowledge is appreciated and acquires greater credibility.

- It will develop academic and research curriculum for the knowledge dissemination, documentation and its wider application.

- It will devise value added components whereby traditional knowledge would stand benefit from the lessons learnt from other such communities in various parts of India.

- Given its expertise, IGNOU will enable linkages of the communities with markets and institutes whereby the former may stand to benefit from the wider economy.

- The knowledge possessed by the communities/persons can be protected, promoted and safeguarded by bringing among them awareness about trademarks, geographic indications and patent laws.

In addition, the accreditation and certification of the prior knowledge and learning by the university can also be linked with the Ministry of Labour’s Scheme called the Modular Employability Skills, wherein IGNOU’s certification of the relevant skills would help the communities not only for employability but it may also help in reimbursing the expenses incurred by the communities for skills training. Following due procedures in the IGNOU Institute of Vocational Training at Shillong to look after the indigenous knowledge system, an officer-on-special duty in the rank of professor has been appointed to look after the affairs.

Sheffali Malik Media Consultant 9811064475