With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Gordon Brown: His redesign of the history curriculum under attack

GORDON Brown’s politically correct onslaught intensifed last night as compulsory teaching of the life of Sir Winston Churchill was dropped.

A new school curriculum, unveiled as part of the Prime Minister’s barrage of initiatives, also scrapped the mandatory study of dictators Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. It was instantly branded “madness” by critics.

Instead, secondary school pupils will be taught classes in global warming, healthy eating, Arabic and Urdu. And they will get five-minute “attention-grabbing” lessons in subjects like French and mental arithmetic following claims that today’s youngsters cannot concentrate for long.

The move follows 15 days of relentless announcements by Mr Brown since he became Prime Minister, including plans for his own written constitution for Britain, raising the school leaving age to 18 and scrapping Tony Blair’s proposed supercasino at a cost of £1million to taxpayers.

The education overhaul was branded “trendy nonsense” by campaigners for better schools standards last night.
And the astonishing decision to remove Churchill – whose personal determination is credited with saving Britain from Nazi tyranny – from a list of historical figures who must be studied provoked outrage....
Read entire article at Daily Express (UK)