With discussions becoming more prominent about lowering the voting age to 16 years, one thing has become clear for the majority of the public: The school curriculum must include information to prepare the next generation for the responsibilities that come with living in a democracy. The majority of people would agree that the right to vote is one of the most essential and powerful tools that comes with citizenship – Yet, are we truly equipping our young people with the information to use this tool correctly and wisely?
In 2014, the “revised National Curriculum” was announced, marking a significant shift in what schools across England were told to teach. One of the most damaging effects that came with this revision is the cutting of topics like Human Rights and Local democracy in favour of teaching about British Values. These topics that got cut weren’t minor then and aren’t minor today, they remain the backbone of the very system we live under, the same as back in 2014 when they were cut. If anything, teaching of Human rights has become more relevant due to the removal of many for people across the globe. How can young people be expected to participate meaningfully in our democratic society if they’re not fully taught what it is, how it works, or why it matters?
Currently, schools are only required to “cover the fundamentals of democracy and the political system” within the PSHE lessons. To some this may sound like enough but in reality it isn’t. Many schools dedicate only a few hours a term to these topics, meaning lessons can become surface-level, rushed, and disconnected from real-world politics. As a result, students leave school knowing that voting exists – but not always understanding what their vote means or how policies, parties, and parliaments actually shape their lives.
It’s no secret that our political system is complex. Whether it’s the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords or simply understanding what each political party actually stands for / represents. Recent surveys conducted by the government show that a large percentage of eligible voters (those over 18 years) don’t fully understand how parliament functions or how to critically evaluate the promises made by political candidates. If this is true for those already eligible to vote it just shows how flawed our political education has been for a while. What chance do 16 year olds have without stronger political education?
If political education isn’t provided in the school setting, young people will seek out other forms of information such as social media. Although this may seem like young people being innovative and utilising their resources, social media is often incorrect, simplified or certain party biased. They then form their ideas of politics around this information without fully understanding the whole picture.
Those who argue against lowering the voting age often boldly claim that teenagers aren’t mature or informed enough to make serious political decisions. Yet that argument quickly falls flat when we consider how little time is invested into teaching them the basics of governance in the first place. The issue isn’t that young people aren’t mature enough to understand or not wanting to understand politics, it’s that we aren’t being given a fair chance to. Many 16-year-olds today are politically aware, passionate about climate change, human rights, and social justice. But passion without understanding is like a car without an engine: it won’t get far.
To get the next generation ready, we need to start being actually provided with political education that includes comprehensive lessons on democracy as a whole, the electoral process, local government, and global politics. It’s not good enough for this to be provided once a year or whenever they have a spare lesson but consistently throughout the whole educational journey. Schools could facilitate mock elections, debates and MP interactions to make politics accessible and engaging rather than distant and dull
In summary, lowering the voting age could be a positive step for democracy. It would give young people a voice in how the future they’ll inherit will run. But to make it meaningful we must receive a strong education on not only the fundamentals but also the complexities. Otherwise, we risk creating a generation with the right to vote, but not the readiness to use it.
Kieran
Not just elected members
Did you know that Somerset Youth Parliament isn’t just it’s elected members? Any young person in Somerset aged 10-25 years can become a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group.
For more information about becoming a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group and to join, visit our Join Us page.
