Marcus Rashford – Social Media Usage Added to GCSE Curriculum

You may have seen our post on Facebook yesterday from Simple Politics that Marcus Rashford’s social media usage will now form part of exam board AQA’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and follows the footballer’s increasing profile and influence on a series of social issues during the pandemic.

It comes after Rashford used online platforms to promote influential charitable work and his stance against racism in sport earlier this year. AQA has added the Manchester United and England player to the media studies course from this month following his increasing profile and influence on a series of social issues during the pandemic.

The new addition to the GCSE course is part of the exam board’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Rashford launched a campaign to persuade the government to provide free meals to vulnerable pupils in England throughout the school holidays during the pandemic, forcing a series of government U-turns.

In May, he highlighted the torrent of racist messages he had received on social media after Manchester United’s Europa League final loss. In July, Rashford said he was sorry for his missed penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy but said he will “never apologise” for who he is after he suffered racist abuse on social media.

It is hoped the inclusion of the footballer on the course will enable pupils to study his use of social media as a way of influencing, but it will also enable them to learn about the social and race issues he raises.

It appears to be a really exciting change and he is one of the most influential young people in the UK today so students will be able to learn about how to use social media to make a positive and real impact.

It’s not just an opportunity for students to learn about social media, it’s also a great way to learn about important social and race issues.