Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (for example, working for a charity, improving the neighbourhood or teaching sports to younger children).

There is a belief that highschool students have to do community service which they are not paid in their curriculums. I partly agree with this.
On the one hand, if there is community service in highschools, their students will be benefited. First, community service participation can develop student's softskills such as communication and teamwork. We all know that, in highschool in Viet Nam, students go to school just to listen and write down dry lectures. There are fewer activities in classes to engage students together than in community work. As a result, students who work for community service tend to talk more and work in teams better than those who do not. These sets of skills will be advantageous for students when they graduate and join the workforce. In addition, for those who want to study abroad, a background with records of having completed some community service gives them a leg up on ordinary applicants.
On the other hand, in my point of view, community service which does not pay salary should be optional for students in highschools. The first reason is that students in highschools usually spend most of their time in school and have to do their homework. They often stress from studying. Therefore, they regard community service as a burden because it does not bring about any developments. If students spend too much time on doing community service, their academic performance can be reduced. Moreover, it is worse if students are not paid. They will feel bored, angry. This leads to them not taking responsibility for their work and doing it well. Their actions can affect others in the community.
In conclusion, although doing unpaid community service will receive many benefits for students in highschools, I believe it is not obligatory to have these activities in curriculum.