With Lockdown once again upon us…apparently
this is a trilogy we are starring in, it got me wondering about the state of
education that kids in this country will or will not be receiving over the next
few weeks with reports saying that schools may be closed till after the next half
term in February…
Going to school is not just about the learning side etc but also the personal
development and social aspect for children. It's where children first acquire
language, develop cognitive skills and learn their individual identity. At the
family level, children are also socialised and taught certain social roles and
cultural valuations just to begin with.
But there is one thing in particular
which I believe needs to be looked at in the British School Curriculum and that
is how British History is taught in our schools.
In my opinion the British history
curriculum should be overhauled to include a less Eurocentric version of the
British Empire. Including the history of ethnic minorities not as oppressed
victims, but as integral contributors to the British state could have a
positive impact on ethnic minorities.
My schooling focused on topics
such as the Tudors, Industrial Revolution and the World Wars. When addressing
Commonwealth contributions to British history, British subjects from non-white
countries were ignored. For example, India provided approx. 2.3 million
volunteers for WWII, more than Australia, Canada and NZ combined, however, this
is not widely known.
For instance my parents are both
from Malaysia (which up until the recent past was a British Colony under
British rule and only achieved real independence from British rule till August
31st 1957) and even how the history of how Malaysia was a key cog in
the British Empire is a mere drop in the lake.
This debate is nothing new. The
failings of the British curriculum led to Caribbean communities setting up
Pan-African Saturday schools during the 1970’s. These were established in
response to the lack of information taught on African heritage. Currently
entertainment mediums and books are filling the void in teaching ethnic
minorities about their respective heritages. Films such as ‘Stuck in Limbo’ and
‘Small Axe’ have shown the persecution of the Windrush generation, highlighting
the governments culpability in depriving British Citizens of their rights.
A curriculum is intentionally
designed, therefore, the problem is entrenched within structural racism and
Britain’s denial of its tyrannical reign in its colonies. Britain’s governments
have consistently erased the violent and exploitative nature of its empire from
the national consciousness. Operation Legacy, which consisted of the
destruction and concealment of ‘embarrassing’ files from the colonies, only
became known due to the ‘Mau Mau Case’ in 2011. Operation Legacy perfectly
encapsulates the British mentality to its sordid past, glorify the empire but
forget its genocides, massacres and exploitation.
It's a big big maybe, but I still believe in hope and I hope others do too...
6 Jan 2021
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