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More often than not, you must have heard of someone mediocre has gone on to become more successful than the one who had shown high potential in academics in school life. The reason necessarily, may not be that one has got more connections or better opportunities than the other. Often it is the case of finding oneself and his interest that he can work upon and excel. 

The likes of Rabindra Nath Tagore, Albert Einstein, Sachin Tendulkar were not considered bright prospectus in their school days, yet they were able to achieve the unthinkable in their fields and took the world by storm.

In this 21st CE, the pure academic type of education that students are fed with; is now giving way to a whole new type of education which focuses on developing cognitive skills, reasoning and emotional learning.

Education no longer confines itself to the books and lectures delivered. It has now surpassed the four walls of the classroom to foster the all-round development of the children. All-round development includes- intellectual, physical, moral, spiritual, sensible and social development. Thus it becomes pertinent to strike a balance between syllabus, books, curriculum and co-curricular activities.

Co-curricular activities are performed side by side with curricular activities. It essentially takes place outside the conventional pen and paper classroom environment. It plays a very dominant role in shaping the personality of the students as well as strengthening their classroom learning. Co-curricular activities are observed in tandem with an institute’s curriculum and have a yearly schedule. Generally, school faculty is involved in conducting these activities in school, but at higher classes, various societies within the school or organisations take up in their hand to perform these activities.

Co-curricular activities are compulsory in some schools, while in others, it may be voluntary. It solely depends on the resources and the will of the school as to how they wish to conduct Co-curricular activities. Schools where these activities are compulsory, students must participate in them, whereas at higher levels of education, students participate in lieu of the additional points which they may secure in these co-curricular activities which may add to their CV and help them getting good colleges or jobs in the future. Today most schools give paramount importance to these activities and consider them to be crucial advertising factor to attract parents-student attention.

The relation between Co-curricular activities and Extra-curricular activities

In a real sense, there is barely any difference between co-curricular activities and Extra-curricular activities. Both include activities which are common for both of them. But grammatically there is a difference, Co-curricular activities are those activities which complement the academic activities and thus holds more significance, although only in words. Otherwise, it is the same as the extra-curricular activity, which is self-explanatory, i.e. Activities which are extra to the academic activities and thus appear less significant. This is the reason that many schools which were earlier performing these activities have changed the name of such activity from extra-curricular activity to co-curricular activity. Thus the difference between the two is negligible in the academic sense.

Importance of Co-curricular activities 

In students’ life, the role played by co-curricular activities cannot be understated in words easily. However, let us understand some key benefits that it provides.

• Personality Development- It enhances the overall personality of the student and makes them strong enough to face the turbulent roads of the future. Experiences gained through the co-curricular activities help them to move ahead in their lives. 

• Better Physical and Mental health- Such activities help students remain fresh and energetic. They are less prone to diseases and even have shown greater awareness in the academic hours. Studies have proven that such students tend to show better results in their academic sphere.

• Boost Self Confidence- Besides fitness, co-curricular activities inculcate a spirit of sportsmanship, leadership, cooperation and team spirit in the students. Thus, helping them boost their self-confidence and provide a mindset to face the future with audacity.

• Better Opportunities- In this highly competitive world, co-curricular activities act as game-changers, be it in taking admissions in colleges or getting jobs. It is seen that students who have pursued these activities are given more preference over those who haven’t been involved in such activities.

• Skill Development- Getting jobs based on your education degrees is a thing of past now. Now schools tend to promote market-related skills to the students in their school life itself. Creating public speaking skills, developing leadership qualities, Personality Development etc. have gained prominence. 

• Exposure to new ideas- Co-curricular activities help the students develop an enriched learning experience by creating an innovative mindset. A plethora of activities are up for grabbing. Students just need to identify their skill set and work upon them and become professional in such things.

Co-curricular activities performed in schools, help students sharpen their communication skills, expression skills, public speaking, participation, and create a sense of belongingness through various types of activities like debates, extempore, recitation, art & craft competitions and classroom activities like reading, group discussions, and many more. If performed in an effective manner, these activities give the right exposure to the mind. Such activities provide a practical in-hand approach to the students and help them to face the outside world courageously. Experiences gained through these activities, help the students to develop interests and skills beyond academics and help them to advance in such fields which suit their talent, with further enhancements they can even bring laurels to the nation in the longer run.

Mahatma Gandhi once told- “By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body, mind and spirit”.

All Day Work and No PLAY makes Jack a Dull boy.