Apart from academic courses, extracurricular activities (ECA) are an additional window of learning and inculcating life skills.
Unfortunately, colleges do not seem to focus as much as they do on academics. Imagine if Lata Mangeshkar or Sachin Tendulkar had been pushed towards academics rather than following their passion, who would have known about them?
This is why it is important to make ECA compulsory. It will help impart real education to students instead of promoting rote learning. Everyone has a talent, ability or skill that he/she can mine to support him/herself and to succeed in life.
Students should be asked to pursue at least one activity throughout their time in college. Currently, these are optional. In the case of activities such as photography, filmmaking or animation, music, fine arts and dance, the college clubs may require a degree of prior training. But there are many others that help students expand their mental horizons.
Infrastructure and follow-up
Colleges also need to ensure that they have the required infrastructure. For example, music societies need a sophisticated sound system, a variety of instruments, a separate music room and auditorium, and most importantly, a trained teacher who will get involved in the society’s activities.
Therefore, the University Grants Commission (UGC) should devolve extra funds to colleges keeping in mind the interests of ECA societies to enhance the standard of university education.
Further, there should be a regular follow-up of the various activities, especially of finances and events. Getting an expert teacher who can act as a bridge connecting the administration and the students to streamline the flow of information, resources and expertise will also help reduce the burden on regular professors who are usually assigned the responsibility of these cells.
By bringing in artists and professionals, the institutes will also promote the art forms and nourish the various cultural forms. Not only will they get a new platform to promote and practice their art but interacting with them will also enable students and teachers to acquire an understanding and acceptance of the activity and the crucial role it plays in shaping the lives of youngsters.
Developing skills
Take the organisation of a Model United Nations conference. The organizing committee of students need to invite a chief guest, settle intra-society issues with their friends (now their teammates), arrange logistics, scout markets for best prices and muster participation from colleges and schools.
All this inculcates in them a sense of responsibility and develops confidence, street smartness, problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities, enhances skills such as creativity, interpersonal communication, leadership, emotional intelligence, negotiation, and adaptability, teaches them time and stress management, and also makes them digitally savvy.
In my experience, college cultural events have always been the site of challenges, both personal and professional. Handling the finances of such events also involves dealing with people and their biases and navigating the politics of dress codes, brands and much more. In fact, the organisation of college culturals offers students a multitude of opportunities. Being involved in such events helps showcase the student’s talents both as performer and organiser.
Also, it teaches time management, as one has to balance academics and other work.
Another benefit of getting involved with college events is building a social network. Students come into contact with a variety of people, both peers and others. This helps them form and maintain connections that will be very helpful later in life.
Then, there’s also the critical aspect of building skills such as creative thinking and communication. Students who are also organisers have to strategise and plan, take people along, do multiple things simultaneously, and work with others. All this helps build what are called 21st-century skills: Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. This will stand them in good stead when they enter the workplace.
Hence, the experience of organising and participating in extracurricular activities provides them top-quality exposure and learning, which will enable them to deal with life more successfully in future.
The writer is currently doing his Master’s in Political Science in Delhi University.
