When After-School Projects Become Performances
An after-school programme should not become an extended version of watching a movie—something students consume, discuss, and forget without creating any meaningful change. Learning has value when it solves a real problem. If students build an app, a robot, a drone, or a 3D-printed product, the important question is not how impressive the demonstration looks. The important questions are: How many people actually benefited? Did a grandmother find it useful? Did a local kirana shop save time or money? Did a farmer use it in the field? Did it help a school, a worker, a patient, or a small business? Is there already a similar application available online? What did the students learn from testing it with real users? A project should not be artificially promoted through rehearsed testimonies, inflated claims, or carefully selected success stories. Students should be encouraged to be honest about what worked, what failed, and whether the project created any real value. Building one project and...
