Why schools must teach current affairs to strengthen democratic participation
The world's democracies face significant challenges. From polarised politics in America to the rise of populist movements across Europe, democratic institutions are grappling with new pressures. Misinformation spreads rapidly, civic engagement has declined in many countries, and political discourse has become increasingly fractured. The solution lies not just in the corridors of power, but in the classrooms of the world.
The case for making current affairs education mandatory for students aged 10-16 rests on both pedagogical merit and democratic health. Citizens equipped to navigate complex information landscapes and engage in reasoned discussion are essential for well-functioning democratic societies.
The information challenge
Modern democracies face a peculiar paradox. Never before have citizens had access to so much information, yet never have they seemed less equipped to make sense of it. Research by the Institute for Public Policy Research documents growing political polarisation1, while the Reuters Digital News Report shows how young people feel overwhelmed by information overload and are purposefully turning away from the news2. The Stanford History Education Group's 2019 study found that students often struggled to distinguish between credible news sources and less reliable content3, a pattern confirmed by the National Literacy Trust's research on news literacy4.
The educational system has not kept pace with these demands. Only 1% of teachers report feeling fully prepared to teach political and media literacy, despite recognising its importance5, 6. This gap has consequences: students who lack these skills may become less engaged citizens, potentially affecting the quality of democratic participation.
The challenge is particularly acute for disadvantaged groups. Children from low-income backgrounds face greater barriers to developing news literacy skills7 and report feeling more excluded from democratic processes8. They also have fewer opportunities for democratic education than their peers at fee-paying schools9. Addressing these disparities could help strengthen democratic participation more broadly.
The remedy: structured engagement with the world
Fortunately, the medicine exists. Research demonstrates that regular current affairs education delivers transformative results.
Academic excellence through engagement
Students who participate in structured current affairs discussions for just six weeks show up to seven times the progress of their peers in creative problem-solving and communication skills10. These are not abstract academic achievements but practical competencies directly linked to improved life outcomes: higher wages, better health, and enhanced wellbeing. For disadvantaged students, who often lack opportunities to develop such skills outside school, current affairs education can be genuinely transformative.
Democratic engagement
Democracy benefits from informed participation, yet voter turnout among young people remains inconsistent. Current affairs education shows promise as a remedy. The Young Citizens' 2024 survey found that 78% of young people who felt informed about political issues expressed intention to vote, compared with just 36% of those who felt uninformed11. This suggests that knowledge and civic engagement are closely linked.
Information warriors
In an age of “infodemics,” students who engage regularly with current affairs programmes make seven times the progress in media literacy skills compared with their peers12. They learn to evaluate source credibility, understand complex global issues, and navigate treacherous information landscapes. These are not luxury skills but essential tools for the 21st century.
Reducing polarisation
Current affairs education may also help address political polarisation. The Department for Education's research suggests that deliberative classroom discussions about controversial topics can build resilience against extremist narratives13. Regular exposure to balanced viewpoints and structured dialogue appears to reduce partisan animosity and enhance students' ability to engage with different perspectives14, 15. After interviewing 700 16-18-year-olds around the UK, authors of ‘Inside the mind of a 16 year old’ concluded: “school is the one hope we have left of a less polarised world in which there is deeper understanding of complex issues and emotions.”16 While not a panacea, such education could contribute to more constructive political discourse.
The Topical Talk solution
Recognition of a problem is insufficient without practical remedies. The Economist Educational Foundation's Topical Talk programme offers a practical template for implementation.
Curriculum integration requires dedicated weekly time for current affairs discussions using structured programmes that combine pedagogical expertise with trusted journalistic content. Topical Talk provides exactly this: weekly stand-alone lessons alongside multi-lesson projects such as the Leadership for Change Prize and Topical Talk Festival.
Teacher empowerment demands comprehensive training and resources. The Economist Educational Foundation trains teachers to facilitate discussions about current affairs and controversial topics, providing professional development programmes, high-quality materials, and guidance on managing sensitive discussions.
Quality assurance necessitates clear frameworks for measuring progress. Topical Talk employs the Skills Builder Universal Framework and a range of qualitative and quantitative methods to track improvements in critical thinking, communication, media literacy, and global awareness. Lessons align to specific skills with built-in opportunities for reflection and progress measurement.
Resource provision ensures schools have access to age-appropriate news content from reliable sources which keeps up with evolving topics like AI, climate change, misinformation and international relations. Topical Talk releases new lessons weekly, freely available to any teacher, each subject to The Economist's editorial standards and incorporating cutting-edge pedagogies.
A worthwhile investment
The evidence suggests that mandatory current affairs education for students represents a valuable investment in both individual cdevelopment and democratic participation. The benefits extend beyond academic outcomes to encompass broader civic engagement and social cohesion.
As Bridget Phillipson, Britain's Secretary of State for Education, recently observed: “It's more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online.” Current affairs education provides these capabilities while fostering the informed and engaged citizens that healthy democracies require.
The opportunity is clear. Policymakers can continue to treat current affairs education as optional, accepting current levels of civic engagement and media literacy. Or they can recognise that teaching students to think critically about current events represents a practical investment in democratic participation and social cohesion.
Young people are ready to engage with the world around them. The question is whether educational systems will provide them with the tools to do so effectively.
England’s new curriculum: threading the needle with current affairs education
The 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report acknowledges that the curriculum must evolve to equip young people with the skills and knowledge needed to shape our rapidly changing world17. Current affairs education, particularly through a structured programme like Topical Talk, directly addresses key commitments made by the government18:
Mandated Citizenship education from Primary
- There will be a statutory requirement for Citizenship in primary school and a strengthening of the subject more broadly
- Topical Talk Expertise: The lessons include applied learning to real-world examples of citizenship in action globally and link across subjects like English, Maths, Science, and History
New Oracy Frameworks in Primary and Secondary
- Oracy will be given the prominence it needs, including new primary and combined secondary oracy, reading, and writing frameworks, embedding them across the whole curriculum
- Topical Talk Expertise: Topical Talk lessons are 100% oracy-based. Through structured talk, students build knowledge, think critically, and solve problems, making up to seven times the progress of their peers in these skills
Mandated enrichment opportunities for civic engagement
- The government is committed to a new core enrichment entitlement for every pupil, which includes provision for civic engagement to promote wider life skills
- Topical Talk Expertise: Topical Talk is a high-quality, easy-to-run, and free programme that can already be used as an enrichment programme. It includes prizes and projects that connect young people globally
Focus on essential 21st-Century literacies
- The review explicitly acknowledges the need for young people to have requisite skills in areas such as media literacy, democratic education, financial literacy, digital literacy, and climate education
- Topical Talk Expertise: The lessons are fact-checked and cover topics like AI, misinformation, climate, democracy, and economics. They are mapped against Ofcom’s media literacy outcomes framework and help students practice critical engagement with the news
While we’ll continue to advocate for protected curriculum space for current affairs education, we’ll support schools and teachers to see how Topical Talk’s dynamic, oracy-focused lessons on current affairs cover many of the new curriculum requirements simu ltaneously, offering practical, trustworthy resourcing and training that is critical for the curriculum development and implementation.
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1. Institute for public policy research, 2024
2. Reuters Digital News Report, 2024
3. Stanford History Education Group, 2019 study
4. Final Report on Fake News and Critical Literacy, National Literacy Trust 2018
5. The Missing Link, Shout Out UK, 2019
6. Final Report on Fake News and Critical Literacy, National Literacy Trust 2018
7. National Literacy Trust 2018, Skills Builder 2023
8. The Institute for Public Policy Research, 2015
9. ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON POLITICAL LITERACY - Shout Out UK
10. The Economist Educational Foundation Impact Report, 2024
11. Young Citizens survey, 2024
12. The Economist Educational Foundation Impact Report, 2024
13. Teaching approaches that help to build resilience to extremism in young people, DfE, 2010
14. Reducing opinion polarization: Effects of exposure to similar people with differing political views, 2021
15. We Need to Talk: How Cross-Party Dialogue Reduces Affective Polarization, 2021
16. Inside the mind of a 16 year old, Demos, 2025
17. Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report, 2025
18. Government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final report, 2025
