UK Holocaust Education needs Investment

16 Apr 07 – Serious concerns have been raised internationally about the state of Holocaust education in the UK in the wake of media stories following publication of a DfES-funded report, ‘Teaching Emotive and Controversial History’. The report, published by the Historical Association, found that some teachers had dropped the Holocaust from lessons over fears that Muslim pupils might express antisemitic reactions in class. It also gave the example of one history department in a secondary school in a northern city which decided not to teach the Holocaust as a topic for GCSE coursework. Coverage included, among other outlets, the Telegraph, the Mail and the Guardian.

However, despite fears in some quarters that the findings of this report indicate the widespread collapse of Holocaust education in the UK, the Holocaust has not been removed from the National Curriculum and the UK Holocaust Centre in North Notts – home of genocide prevention organisation the Aegis Trust – continues to receive up to 600 school students each week, studying the Holocaust as part of the curriculum.

Indeed, so great is demand for the Holocaust Centre, it has to turn away one in two school booking requests (which amounts to turning away another 600 students a week) and cannot promote itself to new schools that would benefit from its services because it is running at capacity.

“While some may be nervous about teaching the Holocaust, with the right training and resources, teachers can find effective ways to communicate this history and its implications to their students,” says the Centre’s Chief Executive, Dr James Smith. “Problems evidenced by the Historical Association report point up the need for major investment in this area – as does demand for the Holocaust Centre.  That’s why we are now appealing for funds to build a new auditorium that would double visitor capacity – and enable us to substantially increase our teacher training provision.”