The Daily Telegraph

SNP pledges to make children face UK’S colonial past

- By Daniel Sanderson

THE SNP has published plans to force Scottish schoolchil­dren to “face the UK’S colonial past” in Black Lives Matter-inspired history lessons.

Historians and teachers raised concerns that a new programme of “antiracist education”, which Nicola Sturgeon plans to roll out, will present pupils with a one-sided, negative and politicise­d version of Britain’s past.

The SNP included the pledge to commission a taxpayer-funded teaching programme inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in its manifesto for the Holyrood elections next month, which opinion polls suggest the party will almost certainly win.

This would highlight “Scotland and the UK’S colonial history”, and all schools would be urged to adopt it.

Clare Adamson, SNP candidate for Motherwell & Wishaw, said: “The SNP is committed to strengthen­ing education … and recognisin­g the importance of having equality and human rights embedded in our education.”

Chris Mcgovern, a retired head teacher and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “Humankind’s capacity for good and evil has nothing to do with skin colour. The SNP’S education policy needs to stop playing truant with truth.”

 ??  ?? First Minister Nicola Sturgeon practices checking teeth on a model dinosaur, during a visit to Thornlieba­nk Dental Care centre, Glasgow
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon practices checking teeth on a model dinosaur, during a visit to Thornlieba­nk Dental Care centre, Glasgow

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