Born and raised thousands of miles away from England, I personally struggle with the idea of being compelled to learn English in my high school curriculum. English is a language that, for many of us, holds little relevance or utility: we do not reside in an English-speaking country nor do we have any intention to bridge this geographical divide in the future.

The requirement to study English has been imposed on us, despite the fact that we live and breathe in a completely different cultural and linguistic context. Our educational system should reflect our local needs, culture, and language; not a distant language of a nation located on the other side of the globe.

This call for change is not just my personal irritation; it represents a growing sentiment amongst many students and their parents. Perhaps you, too, have felt that studying English is unnecessary in our corner of the world. Therefore, it is high time we rethink this curriculum requirement.

High schools should prioritize our native language and other modern languages that are more relevant to our geographical location and our interactions in today's globalized world. Removing English as an obligatory language course won’t diminish the quality of our education, but it will make it more relevant and practical for us, the students.

Please join me in urging our school boards and the ministry of education to reconsider the curriculum, and remove English as a language in high school. Add your voice by signing this petition.

Each day several diligent High School students have to sit through a grueling lecture about a dead language used on the opposite side of the world. This is an unacceptable injustice, and needs to be rectified now!