Topic: Some people say that art subjects such as painting or drawing should not be made compulsory for high school students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is often argued that whether art classes should be mandatory for high school students or not. I agree that it is beneficial to attend these classes in high school, but I oppose to the idea of making them obligatory for a number of reasons.

On the one hand, there are several reasons why art subjects benefit high school students. Firstly, taking art classes such as painting, drawing and music can help students enter relax. After concentrating on STEM subjects, students tend to feel stressed out and need to loosen their minds by extracurricular activities to break the monotony of academic subjects. For example, drawing a picture or singing an amazing song are able to bring them a good state of mind. Secondly, students may discover their hidden talent through these classes. Teachers always encourage them to express themselves and nurture the outstanding abilities that set them apart from their peers. Therefore, by studying art, they have the ability to enhance both imagination and creative thinking skills.

On the other hand, I agree that these subjects should be optional. To begin with, academic subjects like math, literature and physics are more essential for students as they broaden students’ knowledge and allow students to find a decent profession in the future. If the students just focus on art, they would lack basic skills and knowledge around their lives. Moreover, it is a waste of time when teaching to those who are not interested in art. They will not pay attention to these classes or even play truant. Besides, not every student has an aptitude for art. Since being talented in drawing, singing, painting is something mostly belongs to innate capabilities. Those who do not have these abilities will be unconfident and embarrassed when attending these subjects.

In conclusion, I firmly hold the view that art subjects should not be mandatory in high schools, however, they may be given as optional subjects in the syllabus.