Nizwa Gazette

A job journal by students’ services Center, Nizwa CAS. Ministry of Higher Education Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Leading Article

The Importance

Extracurricular Activities for Teens Joseph Pulimoottil Chacko Lecturer,

Academics are an important part of each student’s college years, especially since college grades play an integral role in job offers. Parents spend a lot of time encouraging their teens to study more -- and play less -- in the pursuit of this goal. They believe that devoting a great deal of time to studying guarantees success in future.

However, there is another more playful component of a wellrounded education -- outside the regular academic program -- that may positively impact students’ success. Extracurricular activities, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, debating, chess clubs, student government, music, dance and drama clubs, language clubs and computer clubs can round out students’ academic careers to great effect.

Besides being fun and a great way to socialize with peers, extracurricular activities can enhance students’ time management and stress management skills, improving overall productivity. Extracurricular activities also increase a candidate’s appeal when appearing to job interviews.

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Studies show that students in extracurricular activities have higher [academic] scores.

They learn to manage their time, relieve stress and learn to strive for excellence in more than one thing. Students who are involved in team sports learn to work in groups. Their written and oral communication skills improve.

These things cross over into ‘real life’. The students who participate in extracurricular activities are generally accepted by all institutions.

At CAS Nizwa we have several student activity groups, including an English Language Society. The aim of these groups is to empower the students to meet the global demands in any work place and in real life. The English Society at CAS Nizwa is patronized by the dean of the college and the head of the English department. It is guided by English language teachers who like to volunteer their free time in creative and practical use of language activities like debates, quizzes, peer tutoring, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, along with visits and participation to English society activities conducted in other universities

CAS

Nizwa

and colleges. English Society at CAS Nizwa is run by students to provide English – focused extracurricular activities to empower them to make their own decisions and help all students involved gain vital experience and skills to lead them on the path to their own future.

Overall, students who participate in extracurricular activities will likely see an improvement in their academic and life skills, including discipline, goalsetting, teamwork, accountability and responsibility. They will also find themselves better prepared for higher education. Ultimately, students may even discover that the lessons they learned outside the classroom help them cope with future challenges in the workplace.

I welcome all the students to actively take part in extracurricular activities and I wish you all a bright future.

News

Nizwa College of Applied Sciences celebrated the forth batch graduation ceremony under the patronage of HE Issa bin Hamed AlAzri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice in Nizwa Hall. The graduates number reached 292 divided to three main programmes.

The ceremony contained many different activities and the main activities were the speech of the Ministry of Higher Education

presented by Dr. Salim bin Abdullah Al-Nabi, CASNizwa Dean followed by the graduates’ speech. After that, the excelling students were awarded and finally certificates were distributed to the graduates.

CAS-Nizwa offers ten specializations from three programmes with a bachelor degree. The communication studies programme includes: journalism, public relations, digital media, media management, international com-

munication and advertising. The design programme includes: graphics design, digital design and spatial design, while the international business administration programme offers IBA only.

It is worth mentioning that CAS-Nizwa is considered as a centre for all the three programmes among the six Colleges of Applied Sciences.

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Investigation

Extracurricular activities have always been considered as a two-sided issue, where many students feel that they can enhance and improve their skills at many aspects, while others feel that it affects their studies and causes an anxiety about their grades. This investigation will show the points of views of students and staff at CAS-Nizwa to see whether they consider these activities on campus as positive or negative.

Positive or Negative for the students:

There are many students who enjoy participating in various activities in the college for many reasons, and to know more about this, we will have their feedback about this topic directly. Yousuf Al-Mahroqi, a senior PR student said: “ In my opinion, extra-curricular activities affect students positively especially if the students have the skill of time management. We can find that many good students in the college are creative in the extra-curricular activities when they balance between their study time and activities time.

That is reflected on their personality, where we can see many graduated students got good jobs immediately after their graduation because they have many skills which they acquired from the extra-curricular activities

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in the college. It is obvious that these activities give the students many skills like: confidence, social interaction, good relationships and crisis management”.

So, Al-Mahroqi’s point of view is really positive and enhances the concept of extracurricular activities. Another senior PR student, Samia Al-Ghafri shared her point of view about this topic where she said: “I strongly agree with participating in extracurricular activities because these activities help students develop their talents and creativity. They give the students a chance to improve their skills, confidence and make them ready for their future workplace. For me, the activities are as a mother who cares about our new ideas and energy”.

On the other hand, there was some disagreement on the same topic. Other students such as Noof Al-Amri, a sophomore business student said: “Actually I don’t believe in extracurricular

activities as a way of developing personality, as many students associate the idea of these activities. Basically, it is a way of wasting time. Another reason I don’t like about these activities is the “gender segregation”, which I totally disapprove.

So, we can see that students’ points of views have diverged between agreeing and disagreeing because every student has a different view. Actually, it is really hard to define it perfectly in a varied community like CAS-Nizwa. Students have different minds and interests so it is natural to have this amount of differences.

Abduljaleel Al-bahri Sophomore

Communication

Investigation

Staff points of view:

The staff are always interested in students’ performance on campus, so here we will view some of their points about this issue to reinforce the issue. Mr. Saud Al-Shuaili, the head of the Admission and Registration Centre, said: “The campus extracurricular activities are complementary of the educational process and do not harm the academic performance. The students should keep on their mind that the primary purpose is the quality of their GPA then they can join the extracurricular activities as practical parts. However, students who have been officially placed on academic probation are required to refrain from extracurricular activities in the expectation that they spend more time on their studies during the semester of probation. As soon as probation is removed, the student is eligible to continue with his or her extracurricular activities”.

Mr. Al-Shuaili’s words are clear and understood to identify this situation well. He clarified that the students should recognize their priorities and much focus on their study especially

during probation semester.

Another important personality in the college, Mr. Mohammed Al-Jamoodi: the director of Students’ Services Centre in the college said that “It’s impossible to affect negatively on the student’s academic performance unless there is no strategic balance and time management. The college has allocated two hours per week for these activities. I cannot deny that there are a few students who spend their time on the activities to avoid academic responsibility; obviously their GPA will be affected”.

All in all, most of the feedback of the students and the staff about this issue was positive and also that it is fine to participate in these activities, but there should be clear limits to it. So, the students have to recognize their position in the college to see whether their situation helps them spend time on extracurricular activities or not.

Soud Alsqaili The

head

of

Admission

and

Registration

Mohammed Aljammodi The

director

of

Students

Centre

on

the

college

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Article

The bane called Plastic Sami Amer AL-Batashi

There are some important issues that have not caught media attention lately.

One is the use of plastic in our daily lives. Most people use plastic products without being aware of associated risks.

Goods such as plastic bags are manufactured in a long chain of carbon atoms, and it will take hundreds of years to break this chain.

Plastic jars or containers are used worldwide to store food.

Experts have warned against the increasing use of plastic bags and cans to preserve food. The stored food is exposed to chemicals present in the plastic which can cause cancer and breast cancer, they say.

Increasing use of black plastic bags to store

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food items is dangerous, too.

Harmful chemicals present in black plastic bags damage fresh as well as dry food items.

Researcher Scott Belcher, professor of pharmacology at the University of Cincinnati said that chemicals present in plastic even affect fertility in women.

Let’s accept the fact that plastic can’t be destroyed. It’s a non-biodegradable product.

It can only be recycled and given a new shape and colour. If dumped in open areas, plastic materials contaminate soil as well as drinking water.

Plastics release toxic fumes if burnt in an open area. These fumes affect the growth of plants by preventing sunlight and air from reaching the earth.

Plastic materials even affect lives of animals who mistake them for food and

die a slow and painful death.

These days plastic food wrappers are used to keep food hot and fresh. The chemicals present in these wrappers dissolve in the food and can cause liver diseases and cancer. A study is on in Saudi Arabia about the dangers of use of plastic in our daily lives.

The use of bottled water has become common across the world. These one-time use bottles are then dumped as people don’t realise the harm their action is causing the environment. These plastic bottles when exposed to the sun release harmful chemicals which damage soil and water system.

I feel people should not throw plastic waste in an open environment. There should also be more usage of glass.

Talents

Who I am…!!!

Huda Salim Hashil AlAmri

When I feel pain... Everything on me feels the same… Everything becomes silent even my tears… Here it begins my story with suffering… My suffering towards everything… Here when I say everything only I mean myself… I and my struggling in life…

Here my story doesn’t have a beginning or an end… It just rotates with closed dilemmas... Why..!!!

Why is all that??…!!! But I don’t have the exact answer…!!

I disappeared like the disappearance of the moon…I moved away like the moving of the clouds far away… I fell like the falling of raindrops ... Helplessly I succumbed to fate …My ambiguous fate with no opening gate towards happiness…

Suddenly, I closed my eyes and I pondered in myself, saying who am I? Wake up….!!

Wake up….!!

Time passes quickly, and life goes on and there is no time for weakness…

Then, I opened my eyes and I saw the sun shining in my eyes …!!

As if life has brightened inside me again…!!

Oh Allah, where am I from all this optimism inside me?

I thank you Allah for returning me back again to life…

At the end of my story, now I know the answer of my last question “WHO AM I??”

Khuolod Al Mamari

Al-Yaqdan Al-Abri

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General supervision Mr. Moosa Al-Lawati

Editors Najla Saif Al -Kindi

Student activities are considered educationally important because of their role in the development of the students’ personalities, cultivating their talents and in the formation of a leading figure able to act and think properly in any situation. In fact, students’ activities encourage experimentation and adventure, which are considered the way to reach creativity. In other words, these activities contribute in the discovery of the genius figures that the state actually needs to reach development and prosperity. Moreover, such activities are considered a way to integrate and adapt with the environment and society and to create a kind of communication that contributes in the positive exploitation of the youths’ energies to produce what will help in the development and evolution of their societies.

Students’ activities are complementary to the classroom activities. They are the way through which students express their feelings and ideas. They help students reach the academic and professional excellence. Also, they help students reach the state of psychological stability to stay away from the pressure of studying, exams and assignments. Actually, there are some reasons that contribute to highlight students’ talents through these activities such as competition, working with creative students, love of work, the desire to break the routine and the desire to develop oneself. So, giving attention to these activities, proper planning and caring about developing and supporting them will help to discover new intelligent people who will play significant roles in the development of the society.

Najla Al –Kindi Huda Al-Qallaf Zowina Al-Hashmi Safiya Al-Abri Maryam Al-Kalbani

Linguistic Revision Mr. Saleh Al-Rahbi

Design Arwa AL-Shaqsi

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