P-05-861 Make political education a compulsory element of the new national curriculum - Correspondence from the petitioner to the Committee, 23.01.19

“The Minister for Education is making massive strides for young people in Wales and continuously makes reforms that are undoubtedly in the interest in young people. I’m sure that we will continue to see this throughout her tenure of the position and we are all excited to see the eventual curriculum.

I welcome her understanding of the issue at hand and am excited to see the Minister’s response to the ERS report.

Political education is a needed and yet overlooked subject but I feel that it’s inclusion is vital to producing young people that are able to engage within our country. I believe that it should be offered as a standalone, consistent subject but not one that has to be taught every week. From the age of 9/10, young people should be introduced to the basics of politics and should leave education understanding how our democracy works. They should be given the chance to visit the institutions of the UK. There are multiple benefits to be gained from such a comprehensive political education.

I welcome the Minister’s comments but encourage that Wales leads the way by introducing a comprehensive and cohesive political education component to the new curriculum.”

Kay