£1m for pupils to remember war
Scots schools get £2000 each for centenary trips to the trenches
EVERY secondary school in Scotland will be offered financial support for visits to European battlefields under plans to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
First Minister Alex Salmond said a £2000 grant would be available to every senior school to help meet the costs of trips to Western Front battlefields and war graves.
The £1 million fund, to be administered by Historic Scotland, will give extra subsidies for groups travelling from schools on the Scottish islands.
The educational grant scheme, which will span the six school years from 2013, comes after the First Minister announced a £1m fund for communities to refurbish war memorials ahead of the commemorations.
Last year, opposition politicians called on the Scottish Government to fund school visits to battlefield sites after Prime Minister David Cameron announced similar plans for schools in England.
Li z Smith, t he Scott i s h Conservatives’ education spokeswoman, raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament, saying: “These visits are extraordinarily powerful educational experiences, the impact of which stay with young people for the rest of their lives, and I believe it is vitally important that young Scots enjoy the same benefits as their counterparts in the rest of the UK.”
Yesterday, the First Minister said: “It is absolutely crucial we take the opportunity presented by the centenary to help young people develop a deeper understanding of the causes, consequences and horrors of war and the devastation wrought by the conflict on communities.”
He pointed out many of the soldiers in the First World War were not much older than today’s pupils, and said the trips would broaden pupils’ knowledge of the conflict and ensure “a new generation of Scots never forgets the unimaginable price paid by their forebears a century ago.”
The Rev Norman Drummond, who chairs the Scottish Commemorations Panel, set up by the Scottish Government to recommend how Scotland should commemorate the war, welcomed the announcement.
Mr Drummond said: “I am delighted the Scottish Government will be funding battlefield visits for our secondary schools.
“It is vital we create an educational legacy as part of Scotland’s commemorative programme and these visits will enable our pupils and teachers to experience at first-hand the significant service and sacrifice given by so many Scottish servicemen and women throughout World War.”
Denise Dunlop, president of the Scottish Association of Teachers of History, said: “This is a fantastic initiative that I hope all of Scotland’s secondary schools will welcome.
“Battlefield visits are a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for school pupils to l e ar n f i r s t - hand about war and its horrible consequences.
“Many of these conflicts are glamorised in today’s society, and these trips offer a chance for young people to learn the truth about what happened to so many thousands of soldiers – many of whom were not much older than school age.”
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