People believe Brexit may not have happened if politics was on the school teaching curriculum

Engagement with politics is low. After the Brexit referendum, people are feeling frustrated and in the media we keep hearing the phrase ‘the only certainty is uncertainty’.

Some believe that if children were educated in schools about politics, alongside sex education and drug education, then protest decisions like Brexit would have less of a chance of happening in the future.

Steve Kelly, 41, PR account manager said: “I firmly believe young people should be taught lessons which have been proven to be of value in adulthood.

“Typically, the only people who are taught how our country works is in either further or higher education. That’s a huge percentage of people who never get that opportunity.

Schoolchildren will only make informed decisions about the future if they are suitably educated

Future generations would be empowered with political knowledge, rather than shunning politics. Young people are the old people of the future and if, as a society, we put the effort in to educate and empower, then Britain will one day reap the rewards.

Imogen Henderson, 22, a trainee geography teacher said: “It’s super important politics is within the curriculum. I think it should be gradually introduced, so teach basic politics in year seven and then stretching up to more complex in GCSE. 

“Obviously teachers shouldn’t give a bias, but it’s so important students learn about these things because when they get to voting age, many 18 year olds have no idea what they’re even voting for.

“So many students don’t even know who Jeremey Corbyn is or that the Lib Dems even exist. It’s shocking. If they don’t have political parents they simply will never learn.

“It was seen in Brexit statistics and interviews how many people had no idea what they were voting for and what it even meant! It’s our job as educators to educate students about something which will massively affect their lives.”

A straw poll conducted by the Northern Quota suggested that 88% of the public believe that politics should be taught in schools, which begs the question why people at the top are not taking heed.

Here’s a thought: Why don’t we replace #religiouseducation in #schools with lessons in #politics? Surely the latter is more beneficial.

— Steve Kelly (@SteveKellyPR) December 17, 2018

The general consensus from the public who believe politics should be taught in schools is it should be mandatory for secondary school pupils, in order to prepare them for their future life. 

John Cunningham, 24, a shop worker, took it one step further and said he believes secondary schools should go the extra mile to educate young people.

“Not only should schools teach politics, but they should also teach money management and how to take out a mortgage so young people are prepared for their futures.”

Nicole Richer, 25, global project executive said: “Brexit is one of the biggest changes to the political landscape in a generation. Apathy to politics is prevalent within the younger generations, in part because they are uninterested or simply do not understand.

“Teaching politics in schools can help to overcome this challenge. Students should be taught how Government works, the importance of politics and the impact on their futures.

Having this knowledge and understanding will allow them to make informed choices with regards to political decisions and voting

I think what’s most obvious from this Brexit shitestorm is that politics needs to be taught more in school and made to be more appealing in higher education. Would help so much.

— Adam Jones (@Jonesy1490) January 18, 2019

There is no denying that politics is a grey area for many. With lay people desperately trying to decode the Brexit jargon to understand what is happening, when it seems as though even politicians aren’t sure, it seems as though the future of Britain is uncertain.