Today, learning about the news from different parts of the world is essential to many people, and it has been suggested that international news should become a high school subject.
Some educationalists argue that reviewing global news is vital for high school students as it would definitely improve their general knowledge in areas like geography. This is because the news come from around the world and often present significant details about different regions and their features, which means students would possibly gain a better understanding of the world.
It also seems that studying the news can develop the students’ ability to analyze sophisticated situations because when they follow a story, say, about a political rift between two countries, they could observe how it develops or escalates, how the parties involved act and what its consequences are.
However, another group believe that the violence portrayed in many of today’s news stories could affect students’ conduct. For instance, almost every newspaper and news website these days is filled with images and stories of the ISIS executions in Iraq and Syria, which are likely to make youngsters feel insecure or make unreasonable judgements about any Arab friends they might have. Furthermore, reading and analyzing the news would probably be a time consuming activity, as a result of which insufficient time may remain for more important subjects and activities like sciences, math or physical education.
Personally, I believe it is wise for secondary school students to study global news at school. This could be an important factor in developing their ability to understand and analyze the world they live in, including its more unpleasant elements and features.