Sunday 9 January 2011

Subjects such as Art, Sport and Music are being dropped from the school curriculum for subjects such as Information Technology. Many people children suffer as a result of these changes. To what extent would you support or reject the idea of moving these subjects from school curriculum?


Subjects like art, sport and music nurture the talents and creativity of students in school. Removing such subjects from the curriculum would definitely have a negative impact on the physical and psychological development of children of that age group. Hence, I would completely object to(reject) the idea of removing these subjects, even if it is to fit in important subjects like Information Technology.

Firstly, the purpose of education is not only to develop the academic ability of students but also to nurture their creative talents and sporting abilities, leading to the comprehensive growth of the personality of an individual. If the above disciplines are removed from school syllabus in order to accommodate new subjects, the real purpose of education would be defeated and it would be limited to academic pursuits alone. For example, if schools do not give opportunity to children who are gifted in music, dance and sports to develop their skills, it would certainly stunt the inborn talents. Apart from school hours, they hardly get a chance to engage in such activities. Hence, school authorities should ensure that sufficient time is given to sport, arts and related activities, in spite of the pressure from new subjects.

Secondly, if school hours are completed packed with academic subjects children would hardly get time to refresh their mind. This would mean that creative and recreational activities like music and sports would give them time to unload their pressures of academic studies and examinations. Furthermore, the opportunity to engage in activities of their interest would make education an enjoyable experience for children. For instance, most children are delighted in participating in sports after tedious hours of academic studies. It would also rejuvenate their minds and help them to get back to their studies.

Finally, the study of academic subjects hardly gives any room for developing socialisation skills, team work and leadership qualities. Children acquire such attributes by participating in extracurricular activities. To cite an instance, a team sport like soccer or a musical concert would help children to coordinate team activities and take up leadership.

On the other hand, there are people who argue that there is no harm in dropping extracurricular activities in order to find space for new subjects like information technology. They contend that these new subjects are inevitable for children to develop their academic careers and they should find time apart from school hours to engage in non-academic pursuits. However, this reasoning does not seem to be very convincing as much of after-school hours are packed with home work or other academic projects. Apart from that, facilities and opportunities for such activities are very limited away from school.

In conclusion, school authorities should find a suitable way to fit in subjects like information technology, without downplaying the importance of arts and sports.

(Words in italics are examples of the 'skill of cohesion' and words in bold letters are to be studied as part of 'vocabulary'. Structures given in both italics and bold letters require special attention from students.)

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