“Extra-curricular activities help students to learn about themselves and develop and use their skills and knowledge in different contexts,”
– Chris Davison
Grades are not the parameters to judge a child’s performance. It happens more than often that a student who has been consistent in achieving good results in school does not do well later in life than a student who has always been academically mediocre. The reason is not, necessarily, that the former has not lived up to their own expectations, or that the latter has all the connections that count to be successful. Often it is just a case of the mediocre rising to excellence because that person has had the good luck of finding themselves.
Education should focus on an all-round development to make an individual relevant to the society in whichever part of life she/he is talented or have at least have the interest. Every activity in CBSE residential schools in India plays a significant role in the development of students as they are designed to balance academic curriculums. The main objective for extracurricular activities is to encourage every child to initiate steps that will help them become healthy at physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Extracurricular activities in residential schools can also help reduce peer pressure stress in children, the school enrich the lives of the student and distract them from the stress and help them concentrate on the activities. Every child should grow with the happiness for the holistic development of the body mind and soul. There are many factors that can be worked upon other than self-growth and grooming such as
1. Provide productive break from study.
2. Help children build their skills outside the classroom.
3. Open the kid’s mind to new interests and views.
4. Allow children to think critically from different perspectives.
5. Enhance their resume.
6. Provide social opportunities and work towards community building.
CBSE has passed a mandate to include a period for Health and Physical Education in all CBSE affiliated residential schools from the current session, April’19. The same was made compulsory for classes IX to XII in all the schools under CBSE last year. The courses will carry 100 marks and the board will conduct practical exams to assess students,without a theory papers.
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Health and Physical Education (HPE) is concerned with the total health of the learner and the community. Besides physical health, it includes mental and emotional health of the learners which should be considered as a priority. Health is often a state of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Yoga has also been introduced as a skill subject in good residential schools in India from the new academic session along with two other courses, that is, artificial intelligence and early childhood care. The growth of these subjects will not make their lives easier but also can concentrate on studies more.
The syllabus of a good residential school will be divided into different strands and there would be no theory classes for the same. The strand one includes subjects from where at least one activity is to be taken up by each student. Students can change their chosen activity throughout the year as they want, on their wish. The class as a whole will also participate in group activities among themselves or inter-section. The first strand consists of athletics, team games, adventure sports, individual games, and swimming. The extra curriculum strand is the place where they can take up any of the subject.
The syllabus includes children with special needs. In many games, certain techniques including the use of sign language, wheelchairs, etc have been introduced to incorporate differently-abled children, as per the CBSE school circular.
Taking an additional subject of 100 marks, for the student in CBSE board, can be a language or subjects like NCC, Painting, Carnatic Music, Hindustani Music, and Home Science. The syllabus for NCC includes common subjects for all wings and specialized subjects concerning the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
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The best aspect of Co-curricular activities at CBSE School is that they are part of academics, and makes teaching and learning experience exciting for both students and teachers. Students through classroom activities like quizzes, debates, recitation, and any more academic games learn better and shine more in their future. Therefore, Co-Curricular activities along with academics are essential for every student.
