Schools wishing to boost diversity in their curriculum must not “push any sort of agenda on children”, the Education Secretary has said.
Nadhim Zahawi warned that schools must teach children in an “impartial” way rather than “telling them what to think”.
He said that pupils must be taught the facts and taught how to think in a critical way so they can form their own opinions.
Asked whether pupils should be taught about the Black Lives Matter protest movement, he told The House magazine: “I think there are two issues at stake here. Firstly, I don’t think the education system should be pushing any sort of agenda on children. I think the vast majority of schools and teachers agree with that.
‘Good teaching gives the facts’
“The second element is that schools should be teaching children to make sense of the world in an impartial way. Teachers are fantastic when it comes to knowing how to engage their pupils with all sorts of issues.”
Mr Zahawi went on to say that this was “fundamentally different” to “telling pupils what to think”. He added: “Good teaching – the sort of teaching that is ubiquitous in our education system – gives young people the facts and teaches them the critical thinking needed to form their own opinions on things.”
Last month, The Telegraph revealed that the teaching of “white privilege” was rife in schools despite warnings that it was unlawful.
Teachers have been accused of introducing “politically biased” materials to pupils during lessons about the police, racism and colonialism.
‘The English curriculum is a great example’
Ministers have been sent a dossier containing details of cases where schools around the country have engaged in “politicised teaching”.
Calls to “decolonise” the curriculum, which began in universities, are now widespread in schools with GCSE and A-level exam boards rewriting their courses to make them less Euro-centric.
Asked if there are enough black and female writers on the curriculum, Mr Zahawi said: “Diversity and representation are hugely important issues, and you will never find me sitting idly by saying we’ve done enough.
“What I do strongly believe though is it’s right that the Government provides space for schools and exam boards to do this in a nuanced way that works for pupils and the specific subjects in question.
“The English curriculum is a great example of how schools can tailor content to their students, as teachers have the flexibility to choose the books they want to teach – and I applaud teachers for responding with enthusiasm to the calls from their students to see a greater diversity in the authors and works discussed in class.”
