The issue about art partronage has sparked debates in many countries. The question of whether to decrease the capital investment in arts for education is looming large. While arts are beneficial to the promotion of a country’s image, it is my firm conviction that there is a must for the government to decrease them for better educational system due to the virtues to human and societal development of education.
One of my practical arguments in favor of educational investment has to do with its enormous benefits to different demographics. This is encapsulated in the saying ”Knowledge is power”, indicating that possessing knowledge can be likened to a weapon for individuals to cope with daily and societal problems. With knowledge, citizens can drive innovations for chronic issues such as poverty and illiteracy. We need not look further than the case of African countries, where diseases and overcrowding remain high on the agenda. If citizens in these countries were more literate and educated, these problems could have been tackled more easily. Furthermore, just as with proposing feasible solutions to societal problems, education could provide a wealth of invaluable skills. Admittedly, students are equipped with practical and academic skills and gain hands-on experience at schools, which ultimately offer them numerous career prospects and become upright citizens. Nowhere is this more evident than in Scandinavian countries, where they always encourage students to study, unlocking their potentials to contribute to national well-being. Unless governments invest in education, there is a small likelihood for the country to strive towards national prosperity.
However, many critics argue that the arts are as significant as educational values. Admittedly, the arts preserve cutural values, which may otherwise lead to cutural homogenization in today’s interconnected world. They are historical films, on-air commemoration programs, and medieval stories that uphold cultural values for future generations. We need not look further than the case of Nha Nhac Cung Dinh Hue, an ancient form of folk music in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO as an international heritage, attracting numerous tourists annually. In this light, arts not only preserve historical values but also spur tourism and strenghthen the national economy. Though true, this line of reasoning fails to highlight other crucial societal issues that still need resolving such as poverty and illiteracy. In a light of a pandemic, for example, few would have time to appreciate the arts’ values, and fewer would consider them necessary in life. In other words, only when pressing issues have been solved and the measures have been implemented, should the government invest in arts.
In brief, while arts offer many benefits to the national economy and culture, education provides many more advantages to a nation. Therefore, governments should prioritize financially supporting education over arts to strive towards an educated and literate country.