Whether the students should participate in a extracurricular activity or not should be the decision of the students. Some students could find the activities to not be enjoyable. Also, it wouldn't be very fair for someone else to decide if they should have an extracurricular activity. It should be up to the students.

As a result of forcing the students to partake in activities, they may not take interest in them. They wouldn't find them to be fun. If the students had to take an extracurricular activity, they could just see it as another boring class. And they most likely wouldn't want to stay in school for longer than they had to. And though it's true that some students enjoy activities such as sports, student council, and working on the yearbook, others might not. They might just find them to be boring.

Another reason why extracurricular activities should be optional, is because it would be fair otherwise. If someone else chose for them to participate in something they didn't need or want to, it wouldn't be fair. The students should be able to decide. It is true that being in an activity can be beneficial, but the students shouldn't be forced into them.

Finally, the activities are not supposed to be required. It has the word extra in it for a reason. Extracurricular activities shouldn't be a requirement. They should be a choice. A decision for the students to make for themselves. It's important for them to be able to do that.

In conclusion, extracurricular activities should not be required. They should be a choice for the students. If the students needed to participate in the activities, the students may be uninterested and bored. They may feel that it would be unfair to push them into joining an activity. They should be the ones to choose whether they join one or not.