Children should learn about the benefits of empire, Nadhim Zahawi has said, as he praised the impact of British rule on Iraq.
The Education Secretary was speaking before the publication of his new White Paper on schools reform, which includes a pledge for all schools to become academies by the end of the decade.
Longer average school weeks and up to six million one-to-one tutoring courses by 2024 are also key components of the policy document.
Asked whether he agreed with Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, that teachers needed to “tell both sides of the story” when teaching the British Empire, Mr Zahawi said: “Yes, I do.
“Let me give you an example. My parents fled Iraq because of Saddam Hussein. If you asked Iraqis before the Ba’athist regime came into office – Saddam’s cronies and criminals – Iraq was left a legacy of a British Civil Service system that actually served the country incredibly well for many, many decades.
“That’s the sort of thing that actually children should be learning about, and, of course, all aspects of empire. And I think that’s important.”
‘Too many teachers reinvent the wheel’
Mr Zahawi’s White Paper, published on Monday, warned teachers against diverting from the National Curriculum in their classes, amid new safeguards in recent weeks designed to ensure schools remain politically neutral.
“Curriculum design is an expert skill, yet too many teachers reinvent the wheel and design new lessons,” it said.
“This situation fails those new teachers and fails the children they teach. In no other profession are newly-trained employees expected to discover by trial and error how to deliver.”
Speaking at Monega Primary School, in east London – which was deemed “outstanding” by Ofsted inspectors this month after an “inadequate” rating five years before – Mr Zahawi said the thought of children “not getting the education they deserve” is “what keeps me awake at night”.
