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Tamil Nadu
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Chennai
BALANCING ACT: Schools say it is possible to achieve academic excellence, despite being very active on the extra-curricular front. CHENNAI: A host of extra-curricular activities seems to have made way into the academic calendar of almost every school. Timetables are swelling, trying to accommodate several cultural activities, sporting events and quizzes. How do schools strike a balance? “In today’s context, extra-curricular activities have to be treated on a par with academics,” says Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School principal T. M. J. Padmanabhan. “Yes, there are a host of activities, but everything lies in the planning. If we budget time in such a way that academics and co-curricular activities do not disturb each other, it is certainly possible,” he says. Besides mathematics and science, the school’s timetable has yoga and karate. “Earlier this year, we had students from the United Kingdom visiting us for a few weeks. They found the variety in the schedule interesting and new.” In Lady Andal Matriculation Higher Secondary School too, a range of sporting and cultural areas find a place in the timetable. Furthermore, the school hosts ‘Orca,’ an inter-school cultural event. Vice-principal Rathi Radhakrishnan says: “Students do everything on their own…from drawing up a budget for the event, finding sponsors, designing invitation cards and T-shirts, to coordinating with guests and judges. It is a wonderful experience of teamwork, communicating with professionals and so on.” Besides having a lot of fun, students begin to equip themselves with leadership and managerial skills, she notes. “And these have no impact on our academic performance. Our students do very well in that.” All the same, most schools prefer getting done with these activities before December. “After that, it’s examination time, and there are study holidays. So we wrap up all our extra-curricular activities ahead of December,” says Ramaa Subramaniam, principal of DAV Matriculation Higher Secondary School. “These activities certainly motivate children to excel in academics,” she adds. A section of teachers and parents may have a slightly different view, though. For teachers, covering the syllabus in time remains a challenge. “These competitions and events are definitely good for the children, no doubt. But when half the class goes off to participate in a cultural event, I can’t take class anyway. It tends to build pressure on us,” says a Class XII teacher. Some parents are wary of too many extra-cultural events. “Sometimes, participation means a lot of money. My son had to pay Rs. 1,000 to take part in the school play. Even otherwise, it’s difficult to bring back their focus to studies,” says R. Ashok, a parent. Parents like the Raghavs, however, reckon that extra-cultural activities enrich the school-going experience. “Marks are not all…I’m glad my daughter dances, quizzes and does reasonably well in studies, too,” says Aarti Raghav.
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