A lot of young people are living in incredibly challenging situations. Some are in gangs, and those gangs become their family. They give them support and the promise of an exciting life. They see that as glamorous.
As for what we do about it: these same young people are going to be spending most of their time in school, if they’re going – and that’s where the opportunity lies. But it’s difficult, because in my opinion, the current education system is broken. We’re doing 20th-century exams in 21st-century schools.
We’re not keeping kids interested or helping them feel inspired. We focus so much on academia, when there are plenty of options: you can become a very successful plumber or electrician. But instead, we’re focusing more and more on exams and testing.
A lot of kids aren’t interested in academic lessons or A-levels – so why are we still doing these outdated tests? Why are we still doing GCSEs? We should be including gaming and coding in the curriculum. We should be focusing on sports.
This story is from the September 30, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the September 30, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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