With Brexit looming over Britain, and tensions amongst political parties on the rise, many young people don’t realise the importance of politics: some simply aren’t aware of the true meaning and impact that politics can have. As teenagers grow into adults who will soon be able to vote, should more be done to address the meaning of politics in schools?

Many schools don’t offer enough education about politics for their students; citizenship lessons often lack political content, meaning that students don’t receive information about necessary ideas. Being educated about politics is essential for young people. As they grow into adults, who will have the right to vote, they must know what different political parties are really about. While some may argue that teenagers can research such ideas outside of school, more lessons about politics would be beneficial at schools as some teenagers may not realise the importance of politics. Growing up, people’s political views begin to develop, but many often forget that their views and votes will be important in the near future.

Anna Owens, a year 10 student, stated that "I think it would benefit our knowledge and awareness of events going on in society. I think now that because we are at an age where we are slowly developing into adults, we need to be taught about politics and what it means as when we reach adulthood, we need to understand that our lives and choices all revolve around politics. Therefore, I believe it would definitely benefit us to be taught about politics.”

While it may be difficult to add a whole subject dedicated to politics into the curriculum, more should be done in order to educate young people about this vital subject. Incorporating politics into citizenship classes could be one of the ways in which politics can be easily taught to students. These lessons could educate young people on what parties are present in Britain, how they can vote, and even simply explain certain terms that they may be unaware of, such as ‘hung parliament’. This would have a highly beneficial influence on students, who would gain essential knowledge and become more aware of what is going on in society around them.

In a country with multiple political views, should more be done to educate teenagers, and help them become more aware of how they can help in the future?

Klaudia Karcz