Some people believe that unpaid community service should be compulsory in high school programmes (for example, working for a charity, improving the neighbourhood or teaching sports to younger children). Do you agree or disagree?

Some individuals think that high schoolers must participate in voluntary community service. I agree with them because the students can develop good character and earn work experience through

this

involvement. Education should not only focus on the pursuit of knowledge but

also

the development of good character

such

as being patient, caring and responsible. Those virtues are something that they might learn in the classroom but would not have the chance to apply or practise them.

However

, interaction with people in community service allows them to build up those morals. It brings that knowledge of morality into experience in their life.

For example

, teaching young kids to play badminton requires a lot of patience in explaining the right way to hold the rackets

as well as

making the children understand the rules of the game.

Moreover

, it is very competitive in applying to universities or jobs. The university or company may receive a lot of applications with the same grade.

Thus

, the activities that they join outside their school hours would make them outstanding among those who have the same excellent results in their exam.

For instance

, Harvard University receives more than thousands of new applications each year. Most applicants obtained all A’s results, so it is not easy to select the new intake students. At that time, their contribution to the community would make them distinguished among the applicants. In conclusion, unpaid work should be included in school programmes because it will help to shape the morality of teenagers and boost their chances of getting into tertiary education.