Whether or not we are ready to articulate it for what it is, the snowballing issues around our humdrum school routines must be tabled at some point. With the overwhelming loads of assignments and pressure on grades and papers, we should expect routine robots saturated with knowledge but highly lacking in social skills and emotional intelligence. One of the ways to nurture well-rounded students is by enriching school experience using diverse extra-curricular activities.

Some people reasonably argue that participating in school clubs or extracurricular activities takes away too much time from schoolwork, thus hurting grades. Undeniably, there is a lot to be done and very little time to do it, that it looks counterproductive to think of spending their limited time on things that won’t directly result to a grade. However, heaps of studies on the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance all show that students who participate in them have higher grades, more positive attitudes toward school and higher academic aspirations. The studies explain that participating in activities one is passionate about can increase one’s brain function, help one concentrate and manage time better, all of which contribute to higher grades or better performance in tasks.

That aside, clubs help students broaden their perspective about life in general and help them focus on their potential. When students participate in multiple different activities, they get the opportunity to explore a range of interests and unlock passions they, by no means, knew they had. This subsequently broadens their world view. Think about it this way; if a student joins a debate club, he/she begins to look at the world through the lenses of an up-and-coming analyst. If they join the speaking club, they, with time, find their voices to articulate things happening in the society and frame issues comprehensibly. Say they join the major course clubs like the IT, entrepreneurship, law, theology or any other major club within an institution of higher learning, they get exposed to real world trends and issues, and may explore different perspectives depending on how the activities are organised.

That being said, as an educator, you can play a very big role in starting or encouraging students to start subject area clubs, hobby clubs, or charity clubs. Subject area clubs are clubs that come from an interest in a subject area taught in school like art, drama, film, science, math, literature, history, and language. Hobby clubs, on the other hand, are clubs that stem from an interest in a hobby that most likely wouldn’t be taught in high school (such as chess, debate, public speaking, book, journalism and swimming). Finally, charity or social clubs are clubs that are linked to a specific charity with the goal of raising awareness, working for that charity, or raising money for that charity. The gender or health club can fall in this category.

In all honesty, and for lack of a better expression, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” The classroom experience imparts a lot of skills and knowledge but is usually a little shy of the real life survival skills and the excitement that students need. Creating clubs and encouraging students to join them is a very effective way to leverage outside space and time for extended learning.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com