MUSEUM, A TOOL IN EDUCATIONAL TOURISM

Museums are fundamentally Educational Institutions devoted to develop and strengthen non formal education through engaging experiences.

Today education is not limited to classroom and hands on experiential learning is fast gaining foothold among educationists. Museums are repositories of knowledge helping to educate people on cultural history, STEM, Art and about life and work of distinguished people from past.

The guided tours, interactive sessions with subject experts help educators to teach curriculum as museums are considered to be a reliable source of information. Students attending the educational trip to museum satisfy their natural curiosity regarding the subject surrounded by well curated subject material. It has been recognised that museums play an effective role in enhancing knowledge and understanding of multi disciplines to the students effectively .

Museums explore partnerships and collaborative opportunities to invite and involve student and people’s participation for upkeep and running them. Through exhibitions and discussions students are engaged in Science, Maths, Technology, Medicine, Art, Religion, Politics, Humanities, Social Science and much more. There are different kinds of Museums based on the collection housed, like National Museum, Science City, Doll Museum, Craft Museum, Rail Museum, Planetariums, Tea Museums, History Museums, Petroleum museums and many more.

In short Museums play critical role in cultivation of minds. Museums house real artefacts, dioramas, immersive exhibitions lending positive environment to foster learning among students. The Educators are using educational trips to museums to supplement the classroom learning. The conception of a subject becomes clearer when the students find themselves physically surrounded by elements theoretically taught in classroom. The hands on lab and touching real objects add to the learning experience aiding visual retention.

The rise in cultural tourism and experiential learning in recent decades has given phenomenal rise to the Museums. In 1975  the recorded number of museums were 22000 across the globe but now the number is 55000. The increasing numbers and varied types of museums indicate interest of people in exploring various educational aspects with Museums. In India there are more than 200 museums. In recent times some very well curated private museums have also gained popularity through social media.

The digitisation has reinvented Museums in Western world but India has yet to catch up on the subject. This digitisation has turned Museums into vibrant cultural spaces out of India and has added to the foot falls tremendously. Most of the Museums in India are state run and needs upgradation as well as digitisation. The private museums are collaborating with industry experts to equip the spaces with technology to make them more relevant while Government run  museums are limited by protocols and lack of funds. 

On this International Museum Day we are listing top ten Museums and Galleries rated by National Geographic book are listed below to facilitate exploration and seek places of interest.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. USA

Le Louvre Paris, France

The Acropolis Museum Athens, Greece

State Hermitage St. Petersburg, Russia

The British Museum London, England

The Prado Madrid, Spain

The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, USA

The Vatican Museums Vatican City, Italy

The Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Indian top 20 Museum list will give an insight for exploring rich culture, history, Art, heritage and more. The four Indian Museums are listed in top 25 Museums of Asia.

Calico Museum of Textile Ahmedabad, Gujarat

HAL Heritage Centre and Airspace Museum Bangaluru, Karnataka

Government Museum Chennai, Tamil Nadu

National Museum New Delhi, Delhi

National Rail Museum New Delhi, Delhi

SalarJung Museum Hyderabad, Telangana

Indian Museum Kolkatta, West Bengal

Victoria Memorial Kolkatta, West Bengal

Albert Museum Jaipur, Rajasthan

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum Mumbai, Maharashtra

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Mumbai, Maharashtra

Napier Museum Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala

Sulabh Toilet Museum

Desert Culture Centre and Museum Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

TU 142 Aircraft Museum Vizag, Andhra Pradesh

Netaji Bhawan Kolkatta, West Bengal

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum Kolkatta, West Bengal

INS Kurusuna Submarine Museum Vizag, Andhra Pradesh

Heritage Transport Museum Gurugram, Haryana

Hall of Fame Leh, Ladakh

Lets celebrate the spirit of learning this International Museum Day, these knowledge banks need more of you.

Happy International Museum Day !