Experts Advocate More Extracurricular Platforms for Children’s Holistic Learning

Oluchi Chibuzor

To early identify innate skills and potential beyond educational abilities, education experts have called for more extracurricular platforms that allow children to engage in activities that can spot and note them on time.

Speaking recently in Lagos during Chrisland’s Variety Night and Christmas Concert, themed ‘The Gift of Love’, a member of the advisory board for Chrisland School, Kehinde Aluko, said that, as an organisation, the school is dedicated to producing all-round students.

“Chrisland prides itself in providing a holistic education. Education in the classroom is never complete without education outside the classroom. So the dance, the drama, the public speaking, the ability to stand on stage and speak, dance, and sing confidently to a crowd is part of what we teach them.

“The ability for a lot of children to be confident enough to address an audience on stage is an integral part of the education we offer. Events like this give us the opportunity, give the children the opportunity to not only express that gift, but perfect it. Because no matter how good you are as a public speaker, if you don’t have the platform to speak to an audience, then you don’t grow as a public speaker.

“So from acting in their single-unit schools, they have a stage that has 12 schools and parents, family, friends, a much larger audience than they would have in their school. These events give them that opportunity. For their mental health and personal well-being, we all know, I don’t know if we all know, giving and helping others is one of the cardinal things that will tell you about your well-being,” stated Aluko.

The Programme Director of Chrisland Schools Limited, Mrs. Ayoola Akinyeye, speaking on the correlation between developing a child’s innate talent and providing them with opportunities, stressed that children should be supported and noted for talent.

“The beauty of this and of Chrisland is that the focus isn’t only on innate ability. The focus is also on allowing children to express themselves in the best way that they can. So you might find that in a group of students on stage, some seem to act better or more experienced than others.

“And so Chrisland allows children of varying talent and varying ability to come together and enjoy themselves. So we usually encourage parents to support their children to participate more in extracurricular activities and, given such opportunities to take advantage, seize them,” she said.