MODEL ANSWER
Benefits of co-curricular activities
A survey was carried out to gather opinions on benefits of co-curricular activities. Co-curricular activities today are important and should be participated by all healthy and able students. Involving in the activities are associated with the tendency to excel in academic achievements. The survey was carried out from June 2018 to September 2018. About 800 students and 35 teachers participated in the survey.
Co-curricular activities involve students’ physical and cognitive abilities. They require students to use their stamina and thinking, and therefore are good for the growth and maintenance of health. Outdoor activities or games like badminton, netball, football and volleyball require physical strengths of students.
According to the students, they also have to use thinking skills in planning appropriate strategies to control the games and opposing players. Indoor activities like chess, essay writing, impromptu speech, public speaking and quizzes engage students’ cognitive abilities and skills. Students who are involved in co-curricular activities are less likely to fall sick and be absent from school. They usually are strong, active and cheerful. Healthy students will enjoy and become engaged in classroom activities more productively.
On a similar note, teachers feel that students who are involved in co-curricular activities are less likely to have time to do unnecessary and unbeneficial activities. Loafing, smoking, dating or speeding on roads are social ills which should not be committed by teenagers particularly students.
When students are occupied with co-curricular activities after daily lessons, they have no time for the unnecessary activities. They also see and have a sense of purpose in what they want to do. Free time is used to make sufficient preparation for the activities, contests or competitions. Co-curricular activities offer knowledge and skills to students. In order to be involved in the activities, students have to understand rules and instructions. When they are involved in the activities, their teacher trainers will teach them strategies and skills to master the games and activities.
Through training and hands-on activities, students are able to obtain more knowledge about the activities which they may not get in daily lessons. Knowing more is a bonus to a person and is an advantage to the existing knowledge.