Chance to ensure the history of Wales is taught in schools
IRECENTLY led a debate in the Senedd about the teaching of Welsh history. I gained cross-party support for my premise that no one should be deprived of learning about their history.
Certainly, no pupil in Wales should be deprived of the opportunity to learn about Welsh history.
The recent surge of the Cofiwch Dryweryn murals replicated across Wales are an indication that there is a real appetite to teach and learn about the history of Wales.
There has never been a real focus on Welsh history in the curriculum in Wales.
Arguably, most pupils in Wales learn more about the history of England than of their own country and area. There are notable exceptions of course, especially in the schools of Gwynedd.
There is now an opportunity
to change this – an opportunity that must be grasped by both hands.
The new Curriculum for Wales is a real chance to not only right the injustice of those who were not given the opportunity to learn about Welsh history at school but also ensure that when we do come to teach the history of our country to the next generation, we do so in a way that is representative of the richness and diversity of that history.
The teaching of Welsh history is a key component of helping the next generation to become informed and engaged citizens of not only Wales but of the world.
That’s not being narrowminded. That’s ensuring that our young people have a solid foundation as they go forward into the world.
After all, “how can we know where we’re going if we don’t know where we’ve been?”
The Welsh Government published its draft version of the Curriculum for Wales on April 30, 2019, before publishing a final version in January 2020.
That’s why we need this conversation about Welsh history – now.
History is mentioned but not Welsh History in the list of subjects to be taught under Humanities.
My proposal is that ‘History’ should be changed to ‘The History of Wales and the World’ for clarity within the new curriculum.
We can make right the injustice of the decades of absence of Welsh history in our classroom by ensuring that the history of Wales is taught to every school pupil in Wales and do so in a way that ensures accessibility and equality.