Prompt: Some people believe that sport is an essential part of school life for children, while others feel it Ċ should be purely optional. Discuss these opposing views and give your own opinion. Ċ You should give reasons for your answer, and include ideas and examples from your own Ċ knowledge and experience.

Sports has been an integral part of school life.While there are some who believe that it is a crucial aspect of students' lives, others contend that it is not important and should not be forced on learners. Although there are a few merits of making sports optional, I strongly believe that it should be a mandatory part of every child's school life. Ċ To begin with, playing games and participating in athletics keep young learners physically and mentally fit. Constant running and jumping not only improves their cardio-vascular strength but also their hand-eye coordination and balance. One need look no further than popular sports like football and basketball. Players of these embody qualities such as agility, nimbleness, stamina, quick thinking and acute focus on a particular task. These qualities have a spillover in academics as well.They are found to better and resilient students; great strategizers with a logical bent of mind. Ċ However, others believe that sports are just adding to the burden and hence should be made optional. They argue that since students are already occupied with studies , it should be left to them to choose their own extra-curricular activities. Pushing sports onto them when they hate is only going to be detrimental for them. For instance, a child with a musical bent of mind would like to devote more time to hone her musical skills rather than play any game. Forcing her to devote more time to sports at the expense of her training in music will only serve to waste her talent. Thus, it is the student's prerogative to decide which activity she should choose. Ċ To conclude, sports in school is a highly divisive issue. While both the sides make compelling arguments, I believe it is best if sports is kept as a compulsory subject as it will be beneficial for student's mental and physical health. If sports are removed from the curriculum, the students will be poorer for it.