September 22, (THEWILL) – Marcus Rashford’s use of social media to promote worthy causes is set to become part of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) curriculum for media studies. The inclusion into the curriculum is in hopes that this example will highlight major social issues such as racism and discrimination to the next generation.
The 23-year-old is celebrated in the United Kingdom for his influential role in raising awareness of child food poverty across the country and taking a stand against racism and discrimination online.
In June 2020, Rashford called on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to offer free school meals to children in need. This call and his contributions to providing the food earned him global recognition and respect. These inspiring stories have been codified into a course that will now be taught to high school teenagers in the UK.
The Manchester United striker was subjected to racist abuse after missing a penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final shootout defeat to Italy, and a mural of him in Manchester defaced. However, as he has always done, Rashford defended himself eloquently via Twitter, maintaining that racism and hate would never win.
Sandra Allan, AQA’s Head of Curriculum for Creative Arts, believes the shining example of Rashford’s story is one that can influence children’s lives for the better. She explained that the possibility exists for it to help maintain a commitment to “equality, diversity and inclusion in the curriculum.”
Allan said: “I’m really excited by the changes we’ve made – they’re engaging and relevant and will inspire and motivate. Marcus Rashford is one of the most influential and inspirational young people in the UK, so students can learn a huge amount from how he uses social media to make a real impact.
“It’s not just an opportunity for them to learn about social media – it’s also a great way to learn about important social and race issues as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in the curriculum.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
