Some people think secondary school students should study international news as one of their subjects, while others believe this wastes valuable school time. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
There is growing debate over whether international news should be added to secondary school curricula. While some argue this is an unnecessary waste of study time, I believe it is a valuable subject that brings long-term benefits for students.
Those who oppose international news as a school subject often point to the already heavy academic burden on secondary students. Core subjects like mathematics, sciences and domestic languages already take up most of the school timetable, and adding extra content may leave students with less time to master these essential skills, which are critical for their further education and career paths. They also argue that unfiltered international news may contain complex, age-inappropriate content such as geopolitical conflicts or social crises, which teenagers are not mature enough to understand objectively, and may even cause unnecessary anxiety.
However, learning international news as a formal subject offers unique advantages that other subjects cannot provide. First, it cultivates students' global awareness, which is a core competence in an increasingly interconnected world. For example, learning about global public health events or cross-border environmental initiatives helps teenagers understand how local issues relate to global trends, broadening their horizons beyond textbook knowledge. Second, a structured international news course, guided by trained teachers, can develop students' critical thinking skills: teachers can help them analyze different perspectives of events, identify biased information, and form independent judgments, rather than absorbing fragmented, misleading content from social media passively.
In my opinion, international news should be included as a supplementary subject, with carefully selected age-appropriate content. It does not waste school time; instead, it equips students with the global perspective and thinking skills they need to become responsible, well-informed global citizens, provided the curriculum is designed reasonably to avoid adding excessive academic pressure.