Retired Anglican canon Knolly Clarke has thrown out the challenge to president of the T&T Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA) Rosalind Gabriel to make Carnival studies part of the school curriculum.
He was speaking at the funeral service for veteran masman and Hummingbird Medal recipient Stephen Derek, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
“Our Minister of Education has a plan to reorganise the education programme in our schools and he says ‘I want them to teach Caribbean history.’ I want to suggest that you cannot teach Caribbean history without taking in the mas in the curriculum.
“Carnival studies must be part of the curriculum of every school.”
Clarke tasked Gabriel with carrying it out.
Speaking to the T&T Sunday Guardian, Gabriel said it was very important that the Carnival arts be taught in school and she accepted Clarke’s challenge to do whatever she can and, with the association, to promote the teaching of the Carnival artform as they did not want it to die out.
She said it was more relevant now since the Carnival arts could be a means of diversification of the economy.