9 ideas for new school subjects

Results day

In England and Wales, A level exam result day (and day of posting) is a big moment for 18 year-old school leavers. Students specialise early here, at age 16 and choose 3 (occasionally 4) subjects to study in detail. There is no formal requirement for arts students to study a science, or vice versa, but there is an option for all students to add an EPQ (extended project qualification), an independent project-based essay, equivalent to an extra A level.

These A level results are the gateway to further study at university, apprenticeships, or job applications.

Is this system the right way to sustain our futures?

100 years ago

In the 1920s, around 3000 students - mostly boys from wealthier families in England, studied Higher School Certificate subjects grouped in one of three areas: Classics and Ancient History; Modern Humanities; Mathematics and Science. Classics included ancient Latin and Greek. While the structure has changed a little since then, with a free choice of individual subjects, and new subject areas like business and IT...

Popular subjects today

... many of the most popular subjects have the same names as they did 100 years ago, and for some, the syllabus has only changed marginally.

Most popular subjects today, according to the uni guide: Maths, Biology, Chemistry, History, Psychology, English Literature, Physics, General Studies, Geography, Business Studies

Are these are optimised for the 21st century?

Millennium development goals

In 2000, the UN published 8 millennium development goals, with initial specific targets for 2015. They have been followed up with post-2015 development goals, I'm using the original list because it's neat and concise, and although there has been some progress, more than 20 years on there are sadly still plenty of targets left.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Develop a global partnership for development.

A level subjects in support of millennium development goals

There are existing subjects that already support these goals: two obvious ones are economics (not in the top 10 for popularity) and biology.

There is also a relevant A level, Environmental Studies, which is clearly aimed at climate change, but intriguingly, it's the least popular A level subject this year, below even Home Sciences.

Are these strong enough and popular enough to support our global future?

9 ideas for new school subjects

New subjects I would like to see, to support future prosperity and millennium development goals:

1. Practical finance: loans, pensions, and mortgages; the economics of poverty, practical debt forgiveness, modern monetary theory
2. Optimised learning: how to provide courses and teaching materials to support a wide range of learning styles and enable neurodiverse students
3. Inclusion: how to hire, support, manage, and retain diverse teams so that everyone thrives
4. Medical studies: optimising patient outcomes for for black and asian, women, children, non-binary, overweight; research into conditions that primarily or differently affect these communities
5. Green engineering: water solutions, solar and wind tech, recycling; sustainable homes, cities and factories; practical science in the context of climate change
6. Agricultural engineering: sustainable fertilisers, hydroponics, soil conservation, waste-free irrigation, plant-based substitutes; technology for food production in the context of climate change
7. Safety and ethics: identifying deep fakes, preventing malicious technology, safe elections, tackling hard-to-convict crime like sexual assault and bank fraud
8. Negotiation: peaceful settlements in the context of decreasing resources and climate-related threats
9. Entrepreneurship: setting up a business, funding models from crowdfunding and bootstrapping to VC, tax, legal, and HR implications, no-code and lo-tech solutions

The last few aren't directly related to the millennial goals, but it seems like safety and peace are important for prosperity in general, and as a tech founder, how could I fail to mention the last!

What would be your suggestions? What did you study? What would you like to study? What is our education system missing?