As someone who has always loved the stage and directly observed the effects of staying active on studies, the idea that a school should cut funding for extracurricular activities to make up for expenditure on repairs seems utterly outrageous. Although, taking a closer look, in some situations, it might be the only possible solution to follow such a policy.

There is no questioning the importance of activities beyond the classroom. After all, a significant part of student life is spent outside. Not only are extracurricular activities important to keep up the morale of students but they have also been proven to actually enhance the performance of students at studies as well. Dr. John Ratey illustrates through his work the increase in productivity of children who engage in physical activity as compared to those who don't. Psychologists have also demonstrated time and again that having an active imagination, something developed through art, is key to solving complex problems.

In an ideal situation, schools who can afford to do so should never consider cutting funds for such activities. However, in cases where the choice is between devoting resources for actual classroom work and extracurricular activities, one might have to consider putting the latter temporarily on hold. After all, activities outside the classroom are a supplement to the formal course of study, albeit a necessary one. Imagine a school in rural India where the administration is just able to manage funds for buying books and stationary. If it is faced with the task of fixing cracks in the school walls, it may not be the most prudent decision to buy much needed sports equipment instead of the following year's books.

Another aspect to consider is that students might not be able to use their classrooms if the infrastructure of the school is under repair. This may require them to study in environments such as shared classrooms, or libraries, or corridors, which due to lack of familiarity and comfort, might prove to be a little less conducive for learning than their routine place. Given this challenge, focusing more energy on ensuring the continuation of studies might be a better idea than dissipating energy in other activities.

With a little creativity, reduced expenditure on extracurricular activities does not mean the elimination of them entirely. There are many ways of incorporating art and physical activity into regular classroom proceedings as well. Students can be asked to enact stories they are studying. They can be asked to make working models of machines they are studying about. They can be asked about all the plants on the school premises that they are studying in their textbooks. This way, schools that have no choice but to pull resources from activities do not need to deprive their students of the benefits of the same.

Hence, I believe, it's best if a school can pay for repairs without compromising on any aspect of education. But in case that is not possible, they should aim at finding more economical ways of incorporating arts and sports in the lives of their students, without letting them sacrifice their studies.