Art and literature are critical to students’ creative development, Minister for General Education N. Samsudheen has said.

He was speaking after releasing digital content on art education activity books prepared by the State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET) for schoolchildren as part of the comprehensive quality education programme in the State capital on Tuesday.

The Minister said the government and the SIET were creating opportunities for not only curricular pursuits but art education also in schools. The digial content was based on the art education handbook that could introduce art and craft to them, kindle their interest in it, and help them hone their skills in it. These would be very useful in schools that did not have teachers for various arts. In such schools, especially small schools, other subject teachers could use digital resources to support students in such activities.

“A world without art and literature is akin to a desert. For a society to exist, it should have good art and literature. If artists are not promoted, many arts, including traditional arts, be it classical, temple, folk, tribal, those associated with Muslim and Christian cultures, will be lost to us. All these should be protected.”

The Minister underscored the importance of goof writers, artists, and orators emerging from the student community.

The SIET, he pointed out, was using technology ranging from animation to artificial intelligence to take knowledge to students and make learning more attractive. Its resources in areas such as tribal languages to health and sports education had won acclaim. These could be used in anti-drug activities and preventing other social ills, Mr. Samsudheen added.

Vimala Menon, Padma Shri winner, spoke at the function, presided over by Director of General Education Snehil Kumar Singh. SIET director T. Sibi Mohammed introduced the digital content.

Published - July 28, 2026 07:17 pm IST