Essay 282 – Secondary school children should study international news

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 282

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some people think that secondary school children should study international news as one of the school subjects. Other people think that it is a waste of valuable school time.

Which viewpoint do you agree with?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Opinions diverge concerning whether international news should be included in the secondary school syllabus or not. Many academics believe that secondary school students ought to study global news as a subject, yet others beg to differ thinking it is a waste of school time. In this case, I subscribe to the view that international news deserves a place in the secondary school curriculum.

Undoubtedly, international news is of necessity for secondary level students. It reminds them of the actors of globalization as well as international developments. In today’s world, national borders are blurred and nations are closely connected. Anyone that fails to recognize this would deprive themselves of the advantages of globalization. To young adults, studying world news leads them to develop a world vision and global perspective. They can learn how to elicit information from news and utilize it in decision making; for instance, studying abroad, preparing for careers and so forth. Thus, international news is of profound importance as young people are most likely to still enter global competition later in life.

Likewise, the international news about a natural calamity often prepares young minds for unfavourable situations. It also seems like an encouraging factor for adolescents to remain united to triumph over adversity and its impacts. The enormous sacrifices by Nepalese citizens in tackling this crisis have encouraged young people to think about plans to obviate potential disasters because, for instance, the earthquake destroyed Nepal’s historical landmarks and its modern infrastructures. In the same token, when students are informed of global sporting events and regular updates on international news, it encourages them to take part in various sporting competitions.

All things considered, it seems reasonable to conclude that integrating international news into the middle school curriculum is not wasteful of valuable school time because it prepares pupils with the necessary skills to be competitive and inculcates camaraderie among them.