Samsung Win A Pro Football Contract

We seldom watch the football and come across a player of an Indian descent. In fact, I think I'm yet to see one playing professional football and having his fair share in the news.

Coming from an Indian background myself, my personal views are that families do not support their children enough in decisions to work towards a professional career in sport (besides cricket). Most feel that such a commitment will result in shambles! And so families encourage extra curricular sport however never push children to succeed at a level beyond that. Why should children always have to aim for a "stable career where they can "reap the benefits" and have enough money to "provide for their family?"

My views may seem deceptive and stereotypical but the truth is, South East Asians are underrepresented in most sport in England - a country where we can switch to any sporting channel on tele and see an array of cultures playing in harmony, or not, and doing what they do best!

So my thoughts are: why not give a boy who has spent his whole life dreaming to play football at a professional level the chance to live his dream?

Neel Kansara is an 18 year old Harefield academy student which intact makes him a player for the Watford F.C youth academy. Despite his Indian origin, his family has supported him 100% in making his dream possible. But with his mind set on a competitive sporting career, it is still very difficult to achieve success.

Neel supporting animals in a small village in Mexico.

The Samsung Football Win A Pro Contract competition gives Neel the chance to win a professional football career with Wycombe Wanderers, Leyton Orient or Swindon Town. It would mean a great deal to many if you took out 30 seconds of your time to vote for him (link below) and be a part of making his dream come true. Nobody should be denied their ambitions - don't deny Neel his.

Samsung Win A Pro Football Contract

Do students need new ways of learning, or the government? The implementation of new GCSE's in 2015

My duties as a journalist (work experience) today brought me to the town of High Wycombe, where I scurried after frantic members of the public, either too busy to acknowledge my existence or, very helpful and very informative.  

Today’s topic was a new GCSE system which implements more exams, the abandonment of coursework & examined assessments and a new numerical grading system. At first, I hadn’t thought much about the issue. I’m way past GCSE level - it really has no influence on my life. Yet, speaking to people and discovering their views have made me think...

The government claim that the current GCSE system is beyond easy and does not stretch for the most able students. A new system will be implemented in 2017 to compete with the highest performing school systems demonstrated in Shanghai and Finland.

Views I unearthed from the public were “They change them every 3-4 years, it makes no difference.” “All this modular stuff makes no sense.” “University is so easy to get into.”

On the contrary people! It DOES make a difference. Yes it’s true that examination systems and curriculums are tweaked here and there but not to the point of extremism. This new system is too drastic and too hasty and if rushed, it could be a disaster (in my opinion)!

“Modular stuff” makes complete sense! As a university student myself, I am always sitting exams. Be it at the end of the year, or the end of term and even during the term. Wouldn’t modular exams help GCSE students to prepare for their future? Wouldn’t it keep them on their toes and help them prioritise time efficiently? Ok, perhaps modular exams are stress relieving, but it doesn’t make them anymore easier than end of year exams. It seems as though the government are shaming students for doing so well rather than celebrating their achievements and acknowledging the good efforts of the educational system.

University is not easy to get into! I speak from experience and have learnt that from even the brightest of people. I myself was rejected from three out of five of my universities at A level. And even after attaining the required grades for the university of my choice, I was still rejected! There are more students applying for university no doubt but the government should consider the economic situation at hand and realise how many students are choosing to opt out of university and take on apprenticeships and vocational courses.

Instead of using the educational system as a scapegoat and raising grade boundaries and making education harder, perhaps they should invest their time on decisions on more hand-on-hand training which prepares students for the real world.

It is true that a degree does come in handy for jobs such as Medicine or Law but Journalism requires the ability to write well. Anyone can sit their NCTJ with the right GCSE qualifications and write for a magazine or a newspaper. No degree is needed to start your own business. My father learnt his way through the business trade and has picked up the same knowledge that my brother is learning at A level.

Why won’t the government stop beating around the bush and start focusing on the real issues at hand? Beating the £9000 university fee or helping those less able to achieve good grades in high school, and even administering more for those leaving school at 16.

And with this, I leave for you a video which at 3:10 specifically meets my viewpoints need.

The generic 'My First Blog' blog.

So finally, after perhaps a year of indecisiveness, I’ve finally conjured up the courage to start my own blog.  Fashion blog? No. Food blog? No. Technical blog? Hell no! Just another place where I can jot down my thoughts and rant about my not so sought-after opinions that sometimes get me into awkward situations due to my one minute disruptive passions for topics on the go. Although I’m pretty sure it will take on a more random (whatever is on my mind) approach.