The topics covered in history lessons now vary so much from school to school that some children only receive one hour’s tuition on the Holocaust, according to a new survey.
Legion magazine editorial
Published: 16 September 2009
The topics covered in history lessons now vary so much from school to school that some children only receive one hour’s tuition on the Holocaust, according to a new survey.
The questionnaire, which was completed by 2,100 teachers, and conducted by the Holocaust Education Development Programme, found that while some institutions dedicated 20 lessons to the subject, others covered the period in just one.
Devoting a single hour to the systematic slaughter of some 13-15 million people – on an event still within living memory – is absurd. The further we move away from the events that took place during Hitler’s regime, the more important it is that we teach our youngsters the whys and wherefores of the Holocaust. You can’t skim over it with a few facts and figures, or, for instance, a picture of a Star of David on somebody’s lapels. Children need to understand the magnitude of the events, the full scale of the horror.
The news comes as another
damning survey – conducted this time by the Historical Association – shows that secondary school teachers have identified yawning gaps in pupil’s knowledge about Britain’s history. It revealed that out of almost 650 secondary schools, just under a third no longer teach history as a standalone subject to 11 and 12-year-olds.
The RBL is the guardian of Remembrance and so perhaps we are more acutely aware of the gravity of this situation than the Government – but surely this is too important a topic to be treated in this way. Let’s give it the time it deserves.
