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Widen the curriculum: Lammy

‘Education must better reflect UK diversity’, says MP Lammy

The national curriculum must be adapted to reflect the various histories of the UK’s different communities for the sake of better race relations, says a top government minister.

Culture Minister David Lammy posed the challenge to the government last Monday

during a Black History Month debate on the future of BME heritage.

In his keynote speech, Lammy, MP for Tottenham, said teachers were duty-bound to convey the histories of all ethnic Britons. Educational establishments, he said, must follow the lead of museums and galleries in portraying a comprehensive historical picture to foster greater community cohesion.

CHALLENGE

“I pose a bold challenge to my government. If we are to rise to this challenge, the national curriculum must be part of the answer. We need to help teachers bring citizenship, history and geography to life by conveying the everyday experiences of different Britons that make identity, diversity and community cohesion such live concerns. Our museums, galleries and other cultural institutions are already working with schools across the country, using their collections to create individual and collective epiphanies which were not available to earlier generations.

“The research and scholarship which underpin learning in museums allow them to provide a safe and trusted environment which is free of the polemic, sensationalist or superficial interpretations that these issues are occasionally given by the media. My department and DfES are committed to taking this work further.”

Lammy’s speech came during a seminar hosted by the Heritage Lottery Fund at the British Museum last week. A top panel from the BME community included writer Bonnie Greer, Guardian Features editor Joseph Harker and Keith Khan, Chief Executive of the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation.

During his delivery, Lammy sought to address whether BHM’s success at highlighting and promoting black cultural heritage had impinged on the ability to set BME history in its context as an integral part of the UK’s complex heritage.

ABOLITION

He said the forthcoming 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade is a unique opportunity for the cultural sector to catalogue this story.

“We could make 2007 an open invitation to schools, faith groups, community-organisations, campaigners, historians and others to participate in building and sharing their knowledge and experience. Our ambition should be an event which isn’t owned by one group or another, or imposed on people from on high, but a genuine collaboration in which people are free to retell one of our island’s most important stories in their own words.”

Lammy and the panel agreed that barriers continue to exist that restrict BME progress in many areas of life. Nepotism and social class continues to dictate the membership of many, if not most, national institutions or ‘clubs’. This leaves BME communities at a distinct disadvantage.

Published: 01 November 2005
Issue: 1190

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