Marcus Rashford's use of social media as part of his hugely influential campaigns will be taught to kids as part of a GCSE course, it has been announced.
The country’s biggest exam board, the AQA, has added the Manchester United and England star to its GCSE Media Studies syllabus.
Youngsters will not only study his use of social media "as a way of influencing and engaging" but will also get the chance to delve deeper into the social issues he has campaigned on such as anti-racism, child poverty and child education they said.
Rashford, who has 11.8 million followers on Instagram, 8.7 million on Facebook and five million on Twitter, has successfully used social media to promote his campaigns on food poverty, homelessness and books for children, and forced government U-turns on food vouchers during the school holidays.
He was also commended for his comments and response to the racist abuse he himself and other black England footballers received, after the Euro 2020 finals this summer.
And last year he encouraged numerous individuals and commercial companies to participate in fundraising and direct action to help people in need, receiving an MBE for services to vulnerable children in the UK during the height of the pandemic.
He became the youngest person to top The Sunday Times Giving List after he helped to raise £20m for the food charity FareShare.
The AQA say his inclusion is part of their "commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion."
They are currently in the process of establishing an expert group to help consider and advise on representation in the curriculum.
Teaching on the topic will begin this September with the first exam assessments in 2023.
Other new additions to the course from this year include Black Widow from the Marvel Universe, the Kiss Radio Breakfast Show, Heat magazine and the TV series ‘His Dark Materials’ based on the novels by Sir Philip Pullman.
Sandra Allan, head of curriculum for Creative Arts at the AQA said: “I’m really excited by the changes we’ve made - they’re engaging and relevant and will inspire and motivate.
“Marcus Rashford is one of the most influential and inspirational young people in the UK, so students can learn a huge amount from how he uses social media to make a real impact. It’s not just an opportunity for them to learn about social media – it’s also a great way to learn about important social and race issues as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in the curriculum
“Media Studies is a contemporary and interactive subject which encourages students to develop their creative, analytical, research and communication skills, through exploring a range of media forms and perspectives.
"There has never been a better time to become a Media Studies student.”
