Whether teenagers should be required to undertake unpaid community service as part of their schooling is increasingly debated. In my view, such a requirement is broadly beneficial and should be adopted, provided that schools manage it carefully.
The strongest argument in its favour concerns the development of young people themselves. Adolescents who regularly help others tend to develop genuine empathy and a sense of belonging to the wider community – qualities that classroom teaching alone rarely instils. A student who spends a term tutoring disadvantaged children, for example, gains not only practical skills but a lasting awareness of social realities.
A compulsory scheme also benefits society more reliably than voluntary efforts do. Because participation is guaranteed and coordinated by the school, it allows for sustained projects – wellness programmes or basic literacy teaching – rather than the sporadic, one-off gestures that optional service tends to produce. This continuity is what makes the help genuinely valuable.
This is not to deny the difficulties. Without proper structure, mandatory service can become a hollow, box-ticking exercise, and student safety must be protected through parental consent and supervision. These concerns, however, are reasons to implement the policy well, not reasons to abandon it.
In conclusion, I firmly believe compulsory community service deserves a place in high school programmes. Provided schools offer proper organisation and safeguards, the gains for both students and the community clearly outweigh the risks.