Capital Administration and Development (CAD) Minister Nazar Gondal has urged public educational institutions to allot more space and importance to co-curricular activities in their academic calendars.
He said this while addressing the closing ceremony of a poetry recitation competition for all public sector colleges at the Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG).
Gondal said, “Academic excellence is the prime responsibility of students and institutions, but co-curricular activities have become exceedingly crucial for a well rounded education. Institutions are not only supposed to help students get good grades, but are also responsible for their development as responsible, tolerant and healthy individuals.”
He said co-curricular activities must be given more importance and education must be geared towards the purpose of turning out good human beings. “Poetry energises the soul and brings out the best in people,” he said.
Gondal directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to make sure that sufficient time and attention was accorded to healthy co-curricular activities as an integral part of the academic calendar.
The minister appreciated the college management and the students who recited poetry at the event. He said, “Literary activities provide food for the spirit and are important to help lead a normal life. Poets like Shakespeare and Keats have used words to paint a world that is far better than the one we live in.”
Students from 13 different colleges participated in the event. The minister distributed prizes among winners and congratulated the teachers who had prepared their students for the competition.
Co- curricular activities to get more space in the academic calendar: Gondal
