Definition
A range of activities organized outside of the regular school day, curriculum or course intended to meet learners’ interests. These activities can help learners become more involved in their school or community and can help them to develop social and soft skills and to promote wellbeing. These activities can include athletics, sport, voluntary work, photography, drama, music, etc. In some countries, this is also referred to as ‘co-curricular activities’
Example of use
School plays a relatively limited role in the development of the child. The family still has the strongest influence, followed by the child's schoolmates and immediate surroundings. This explains why it is important to involve civil society in extracurricular educational activities, which are highly influential in pupils' education - probably at least as influential as the 800 hours spent in school each year. Extracurricular activities are mainly intended to organize the child's life outside of school hours as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, schooling. Experience shows that such activities are most effective when they are organized and directed in partnership with the school (Brunswic and Valérien, 2004: 66).
Brunswic, Etienne, et Jean Valérien. Multigrade schools: improving access in rural Africa? Fundamentals of Educational Planning 76. Paris: UNESCO-IIEP, 2004.
