Organise Co-curricular Activities Without Disturbing the Curricular Programme
Co-curricular activities have to be planned, organized and co-ordinate. In the planning of these activities the Principal and the teachers will have to keep certain points in view.
Thus, the first aim of planning co-curricular activities is the maximum participation of all the members of the school.
In the actual working out of these activities listed under different heads as academic and literary, social, practical and productive, games and sports, hobbies and clubs, the organizers will find that there is unity and cohesion. There are no boundary lines between, for example, those which are aimed to achieve social and community life development.
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By planning a coherent programme of different activities, rich in stimuli, the school will not be frittering away either the time or the energy of pupils but will be highlighting their intellectual powers besides training them in other finer qualities. Nor will the organization of these activities be deemed as a disturbance to curricular programme.
Before an activity is launched it should be approved democratically by the staff. Before approving a new activity the following things should be kept in mind.
1. Does the activity proposed meet the needs of the school?
2. Are pupils sufficiently interested in it?
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3. Is there a teacher in the school who is qualified, has time, and is willing to direct the proposed activity?
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All the members should be democratically taken into confidence before introducing an activity in the school. Coaches or sponsors of school activities should be the members of the staff and not outsiders.
The introduction of the programme of co-curricular activities should be a gradual one. An activity should be introduced only when the school has a need for it and when its pupils are interested in it. For example, when there is a fully developed department of History in the school, a History club may be started.
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The number and type of activities to be developed in any school should be determined by the size of enrolment, and the needs of the school. Activities should not be over organised even in larger schools. Smaller schools should not waste time and energy and squander money in an attempt to ape the larger ones.
Activities that are organised in the school should as far as possible aim at achieving civic, social, moral, and other worth-while values as indicated in a previous section. Activities for enjoyment are useless though they may be harmless.
The number of activities which a student should be allowed to take part in during an academic year should be according to his needs. A limitation on participation is required because it will check the over-ambitious lad from over-loading himself with activities to the possible detriment of his health and regular studies and because a larger number of pupils will be able to participate in the activities organised in the school.
Since it is desired that the maximum possible number of students shall participate in each activity there should be democracy in the activity. Participation in each activity should be open to all. It does not mean that there should be no consideration for reasonable standards of achievement, or for eligibility to take part in it.
In order that each student should have a well-rounded development in both curricular and co-curricular activities, the plan of educational guidance of the school should consider both types of activities in advising pupils regarding their total school programme.
For democratic organisation the following other points should also be kept in mind:
(a) An activity should be organised in school time as far as possible. If there is no provision for such facilities as are required for the organisation of an activity in a single shift school, it may be organised in after-school hours or on holidays.
(b) Regular time should be given to an activity.
(c) The teacher should play the role of an adviser and not dominate.
(d) The activity should not be too expensive.
(e) There’ should be a close supervision of all co-curricular activities, funds and accounts. Pupils Funds should not be misappropriated or squandered.
Short notes on the Supervising Co-curricular Activities
All co-curricular activities should be supervised by the school. They should be amenable to school control and discipline. Too much supervision is, of course, not required, nor is it desirable, because it stifles spontaneity and makes it difficult for pupils to develop initiative.
The amount of supervision will depend upon the type of the activity and the maturity level of students. For example, you will need a greater quantum of supervision for athletics and dramatics.
Similarly, in lower classes the work will have to be closely supervised, but here supervision will have to be of mother-type. In higher secondary schools and colleges where students are quite mature and grown-up the supervision will have to be of brother-type. But the essence and supervision should be democratic.
To plan the activity programme the school administrator will have to delegate powers to a director to coordinate the various activities to be organised in the school.
The teaching load of the coordinator shall have to be kept to the minimum if an ambitious plan of organising co-curricular activities is adopted. The coordinator will be required to devote sufficient time to the planning execution of various activities in the school.
His duties will be to plan the schedule of the year’s activities, to select those which relate to school curriculum and satisfy school needs, to think of the ways and means.
To finance activities, to conduct research on the values of all curricular as well as co-curricular activities to keep touch with transportation services to take students to various places of interest, and to evaluate pupils performance in these activities.