The Neglect of Extra-Curricular Activities

Jan 28, 2018 Education Corner, Features / Columnists

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by Olato Sam

What it means to be an educated person has been widely debated on a highly philosophical level. This debate has deep implications for our education system in Guyana and our prevailing educational practices.
Historically, the focus of education was on literacy, numeracy and the technical and vocational pursuits regarded as critical to the narrow colonial priorities of the day. Post-independence reforms moved us away from those realities and schools endeavoured to provide broad-based educational experiences for students.
This was grounded in an appreciation of the importance of the holistic development of the child. Longstanding education theories have pointed to the benefit of this as an essential aspect of effective education, emphasizing balance and well-rounded development.
Even further, it has been argued that we do our children a disservice by not addressing the multiplicity of developmental needs they require, well beyond the cognitive dimension. Given the nature of many of these undertakings at the core of such development, they were widely referred to as enrichment or extra-curricular activities.
It could be this characterization that might have contributed in some measure to individuals regarding them as being less important to the development of our children and ultimately their neglect within the system.
An examination of the status quo in schools across the country would reveal a notable shift away from all non-academic pursuits. Simply put, if it will not appear on an examination, it is virtually nonexistent or ascribed little value in our schools. This dangerous practice only serves to undermine the developmental potential of our children and in-turn significantly limits the scope of our development as a nation.
Over time, our society can only reflect what our schools produce. Hence, there is great need to place emphasis on extra-curricular pursuits if we want rounded citizens able to contribute to and participate in all facets of our society.
The conspicuous absence of extra-curricular activities in our schools today has occurred gradually over the last few decades. The greater the importance placed on examinations and academic qualifications, the more the other holistic development dimensions have suffered. Schools have struggled to maintain a balance in the face of limited human and material resources required to sustain these enrichment programmes.
It must be noted that where they are offered, the pressure placed on students to pass examinations have meant that lessons now take priority over such engagements and few participate.
Traditionally, many extra-curricular activities were conducted after school but today it is not uncommon to find schools fully deserted a few minutes after the final bell. As such, schools now have sporadic activities organized around specific events on our schools’ academic calendar—Mashramani or schools sports for example—which are wholly inadequate in creating any sustained interest or higher levels of competence in these areas.
Few schools have structured, year-round extra-curricular programmes for students. Where they do exist, teachers lament the lack of interest on the part of parents to have students participate, particularly in grades related to national or regional assessments.
Even further, the structural and institutional arrangements within our society do not place emphasis and value on these areas of pursuit. Few opportunities exist for viable career options in non-academic areas. The arts and sports for example, have been relegated to the lower levels on the list of serious career options in Guyana.
There are no scholarships, defined pathways and no developed industries in these dimensions. There is an entire body of potential pathways that remain untapped and undervalued within our national structures. Key lessons could be learned from our sister nations within the Caribbean that have well defined industries developed around the areas we now openly neglect.
As a result, few students have been specializing in these areas, which compounds the problem of the absence of the requisite human resources to sustain these aspects of the education system.
Where opportunities do exist for specialization, such as CSEC options in Theatre Arts, Music, Visual Arts, Physical Education and Sports, the numbers reveal a telling tale of neglect. In 2016, one student in the entire country wrote music at the CSEC level. Attempts to reintroduce and reemphasize the importance of these aspects of education have been thwarted by the share absence of competent instructors as a result of years of neglect.
It is vital that the Cyril Potter College of Education begins to provide opportunities for teachers to specialize in these areas—although some courses have been advertised, they have not yet commenced.
In addition, linkages need to be formed with other relevant institutions like the Burrowes School of Art, music schools and governmental and private sports entities to resource and train various cohorts of teachers to effectively reintegrate these areas into the schools’ programmes.
Given the absence of males in the education system, this must be recognized as an avenue through which some males are reintroduced to education. Key decisions will have to be made as to which components need to fully integrated into the programmes of schools and which should adopt other forms.
A range of relevant areas under the broad umbrella of enrichment can be reintroduced to schools in the form of clubs and other semi-structured arrangements. As a stopgap measure, resource persons with the requisite skillsets could be vetted and coopted to provide the required guidance for our students.
Attention must also be given to the structural elements that will support these undertakings within our society. Despite the interest, young people will be dissuaded from specializing in these areas if no opportunities for viable careers exist within the wider society.
A conversation should commence engaging students, parents and the general public in discussions regarding the importance of extra-curricular activities in the proper development of our children. It must be established that these areas of the educational programme are not to be viewed as separate from, and less important than, other more academic pursuits.
These elements speak to the core of what a proper education must be about. Research has long established that the neglect of key dimensions of the child’s all-round development limits the attainment of his/her full potential. Furthermore, it has been highlighted that without balance even the cognitive domain can be hampered.
The infusion of these aspects of the educational experience should therefore not be regarded as optional, but essential to the delivery of quality education and given the attention it deserves. Effective education demands a balance that can only serve to improve the quality of life for all of our children and our nation by extension.

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