CHILDREN WILL be taught mandatory lessons about racism and the contributions of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in Welsh schools, the education minister has announced.
Welsh Minister for Education Kirsty Williams told the BBC that the new plans will help students become “informed citizens of the world”.
Her comments come after almost 35,000 people signed various petitions calling for Britain’s colonial past to be taught in school lessons.
The Welsh government rejected Plaid Cymru’s ‘incorrect’ arguments that the new changes were not included in recent school curriculum law.
Plaid Cymru pointed out that the curriculum changes were a code which could be changed or eradicated by ministers.
The teaching of black and minority ethnic history is now a requirement in every school, and is set to be introduced in 2022.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Charlotte Williams, who led a working group set up by the Welsh government to look at how black and minority ethnic contributions throughout history was taught in schools, said there was considerable evidence of “racial inequality” in Wales’ education system.
In a report published on Friday, Professor Williams warned that schools able to set their own curriculum under the national framework of black and minority ethnic histories could “continue to be marginalised or ignored,” unless made mandatory as there is not requirement for students to learn about slavery or the British Empire.
Still, she said on her social media platform that the report was part of a “groundbreaking trajectory in curriculum reform in Wales.”
She added: “What happens in schools, the way in which they engage with and take forward the recommendations of this report is critically important to all children in Wales, critically important to children from minority backgrounds and critically important to society as a whole.
“We all know that education alone cannot write the social, cultural and structural factors that underpin racial inequality.
“But education can take us a long way in developing those ethical and informed citizens of the future.”
Following the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by George Floyd’s tragic death, questions were raised about how black and minority ethnic history is reflected in UK schools.
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Great, but I now also want Welsh history to be taught in Welsh schools. Taught properly as well, children simply aren’t taught the facts, so many of us grow up not knowing about our ancestors, having no real understanding of our heritage. Never until I went to study Welsh at University have I been taught about our history, not at all during schooling. I’m fortunate to have parents that educated me, as my mother has a Welsh degree and teaches Welsh. The plan of reaching 1 million Welsh speakers put in place by the Government isn’t going to be attainable if these issues still go on untouched. The Welsh Education System is lacking, and needs to be sorted out.