The Government and David Cameron are facing a lot of criticism recently, U-turns, the economy, and numerous others which every Government of the day faces. But if there is one policy for which the Government and David Cameron should be applauded for, it is its National Citizen Service.
The problem with the British education system is it is so focused on exams and gaining high grades, often so much so that many pupils are taught how to pass exams in subjects, rather then taught about the actual subjects. National Citizen Service does not directly deal with this problem, but what it does do is deal with the side effects of this exam driven process.
One side effect of this grades driven curriculum is that pupils do not learn skills which are so very important in adult life. The other side effect is that those who are not academically able are deemed, crudely through a set of grades on academic subjects, failures. This can often then lead to joblessness, and in some circumstances a life of crime or worse. The damming fact of our education system is that these pupils which are deemed academic failures, often have skills in more vocational areas, and would benefit from skills training or apprenticeships focused on getting a skilled job. Unfortunately, the education system does little for these pupils and literally fails them, which is quite frankly unacceptable in 21st Britain.
While the National Citizen Service is aimed at every 16 year old, not just the latter I described above, it does have an exponential advantage to those in that group. It also really tries to deal with the two side effects of our exam driven culture I mentioned above. Tim Loughton MP, Minister for Children and Families, describes National Citizen Service on Conservative Home:
“This is a long term plan for engaging more young people positively in society, challenging negative perceptions of our young people and helping kids to grow up.”
He goes on and describes the benefits to individual young people:
“NCS is not just about volunteering but it is about personal development, social mixing, community engagement, transition to adulthood and rites of passage…. If done properly, NCS is not some cheap summer camp or walk in the park, it is a test of resolve and commitment. Some will fail or quit, but most won’t.”
With the constant criticism that this government is going to fail an entire generation, this policy, if pursued correctly could really help open up countless opportunities for Britain’s young people. As Tim Loughton puts it:
“This is one of the most exciting projects being delivered by this Government and if we get it right it has the power to be really transformational for a whole generation in a way that is sustainable.”
From reading Tim Loughton’s experience of being with recruits in Dorking, let’s hope that the Health & Safety killjoys do not come and condemn the, “climbing up sheer walls and being hauled up log ladders by team mates.” For that really would be failing an entire generation.
Tim Loughton MP, Minister for Children and Families article can be read here: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2011/08/tim-loughton-mp-national-citizen-service-the-power-to-transform-our-nations-young-people.html
Posted by rightblueview 
RightBlueView 