Teaching union calls for school curriculum to be ‘decolonised’
TEACHERS sparked anger yesterday by calling for the school curriculum to be “decolonised” against alleged racism.
The NASUWT union backed a motion urging staff to work with the Black Lives Matter movement to overhaul lessons and called for black history to be “fully embedded and taught across the curriculum”.
The row comes a week after a Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report said overt racism had declined significantly in recent years.
Union general secretary Dr Patrick Roach told its annual conference teachers must ensure the “momentous” Black Lives Matter protests led to “long-lasting and tangible progress within our society”.
He added: “Education has a vital role to play in teaching future generations about our country’s shared history.
“The NASUWT is calling for the decolonising of curriculums across the UK.”
Former union president Michelle CodringtonRogers acknowledged there was “some discomfort” among teachers, but said: “Many schools and our colleagues focus on and centralise the pain and suffering of communities, such as slavery and partition. That does have long-lasting effects on the students who are taught their heritage is only based in pain.
“All subjects have a responsibility to change the narrative that black people have only got a history of enslavement and colonisation. Our ancestors were philosophers, scientists, military strategists, authors, writers, activists and so much more.”
But history teacher Luke Akhurst, from Leicestershire, warned the policy could set a “dangerous precedent” by allowing politicians to legislate what can be taught. Tory MP Tom Hunt, who wants every state school to fly the Union flag, said: “It is deeply troubling that one of the major teaching unions is saying this sort of thing. Too many in the education establishment are trying to politicise our young people.” A Department for Education spokesman said the “knowledge-rich” curriculum in schools gave pupils the opportunity to study “significant” black and minority background figures and the contributions they have made, “as well as helping them understand our shared history across the world”.