Uk Debated Whether To Remove The Holocaust From Its School Curriculum
According to a study backed by the UK government, many schools in the UK are removing the Holocaust from their school curriculum. This step has been taken as the school authorities do not want to offend Muslim students. This has started a UK debate whether to remove the Holocaust from its school curriculum.
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The study claims that it has found that some teachers are not so enthusiastic about teaching their class about the Holocaust. The teachers are worried about upsetting children who have been taught by parents not to believe in the Holocaust.
The findings of the study started a debate that schools are using history classes to promote political correctness. The findings further claim that teachers are not teaching students about the Holocaust as they are worried that Muslim students may come up with anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments in the class. This, in turn, could end up upsetting other students, especially those who are Jewish. At the same time, the report also claimed that there are schools that are teaching about the Holocaust even though they face anti-Semitic reactions from Muslim students.
However, education as well as history experts feel that schools should become vehicles for teaching political correctness. Instead, school should impart knowledge and information to students even if that information is not particularly nice to hear or is controversial in nature, as is the case with the Holocaust.
Some researchers in the UK feel that teachers themselves lack subject knowledge. As a result the teachers are teaching subjects, such as history, in a superficial manner. Students are not getting in-depth information.
This report has led to a furious debate, fuelled by a hoax email that is making its round in the cyber world. This email first made an appearance in 2007 which claimed that the UK had banned the Holocaust from school curriculum across the country. The email claimed that this step was taken by the government after certain Muslim communities living in the UK denied that the Holocaust had taken place and did not want the subject to be broached in schools. However, the BBC News claims that this email is a hoax.
There is no doubt that school try to avoid controversial topics in history for number of reasons. Most of these reasons are usually well-meaning. However, historical facts should be imparted to students, regardless of how boring or controversial they are. Furthermore, to lend impetus that the Holocaust was being taught in schools in the UK, the Department of Education and Skills has confirmed that teaching about the Holocaust is mandatory in schools and is a part of the school curriculum for students aged between 11 and 14.
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Religious Tolerance: Hoax: UK Holocaust education ban
http://www.religioustolerance.org/holouked.htm
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