When I was a school student people around me would often praise me for my some activities like debate, recitation, presentation and oratory. Those works had a special name was unknown to me. Later, my teachers named them before me as extra-curricular activities. In course of time the naming has been changed as co-curricular emphasizing the importance of those works. But time has come to calculate whether only the name has been changed or it has been institutionalized in a real sense. An example may be cited: I was before a viva-voce board for the post of a teacher and I was really in need of the job. All the candidates were asked to recite a poem Bangla or English. Most of them recited “Twinkle twinkle little star,” “Ba ba black sheep” or “Rain rain go away” type English and Bangla Rhymes. When it was my turn, I recited ‘Chharpotro’ from Sukanto Bhottacharya and expressed my extra-curricular, oh sorry, co-curricular competencies. Finally they said “You are overqualified for the post.” Are we ready to welcome a change?
Lets where I started-only changing of name is not expected. For example: The street children were called as Tokai at the beginning. Even our present prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, wrote a book on them in 1989 entitled with “Ora Tokai Keno”. But later their naming has been changed from Tokai to Pothoshishu and now we often call them Pothokoli (flower of the street). Their naming has got a good look but is there any remarkable change in their lifestyle?
The same thing I notice in the field of debate, presentation, recitation, drama, dance, singing etc. Those works were once optional called extra-curricular and now we are trying to introduce them as a part of education changing their name to co-curricular but this is not enough. We are to ready our surroundings for a change in the real sense. At least we may try because the result will not be before us overnight. We do not see how the green banana becomes yellow because it does not happen in a twinkle of an eye. Similarly the influence of co-curricular activities will not be visible so quickly. It may take some decades or even a century but we are to continue our efforts. If a student fails to present himself in front of some people in a correct manner what will we do with his/her A+ certificates? Who will take the responsibility of this failure? At least some of us should feel guilty for the lacking or the gaps will never be filled up. They should be brought out from the cocoons of their bookish knowledge. It is high time we started from today and keep it up up to our last breath to kindle the new generation with the light of logic, argument, ethics, morality and creativity. Whatever may be the name extra-curricular or co-curricular, we are to patronize and spread those qualities to every student along with the academic bindings.
Written By-
Md. Ansarul Islam
Assistant teacher, English
Rajshahi Cantonment Public School and College, Rajshahi
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