Let children read books that contain racist insults, says education minister

The Minister of Education insisted that children are not “snowflakes” and should be able to read books containing racial abuse. Nadim Zahawi warned against creating “false candidates” for students and said that “those in charge should teach young people how to think and not what to think.”

It comes after the government issued a statement earlier this year to help teachers in England avoid “disclosing controversial theories as facts”. Speaking on Chopper’s Politics in the Telegraph, the education secretary said it’s important to remember the resilience children are showing during the pandemic.

“These kids are resilient. They beat the Covid pandemic by accidentally closing schools. They are not snowflakes at all. They are really strong and I think it is important to remember that,” he said.

He added, “Those who are responsible should teach young men to think, not to think. Guys… If you teach them curiosity, if you teach them how to filter and rely on high-quality journalism, and you understand both sides of the matter, you are sure that you are doing something wonderful. Don’t pass on your fears and superstitions to Classroom, that would be my motto.

When asked if children should be able to read about racial abuse such as Harper Lee’s killing of a parody bird, she replied, “Sure. I think it is very important to let children be curious to understand the source of all this, rather than[place]to create fake filters for them.” .

A government directive on political neutrality in schools, issued in February, suggested that the teaching of the British Empire should be presented in a “balanced manner”. Anti-racism protesters criticized it as “disturbing”, while teacher leaders said it would prevent students from facing difficult problems in class.

Al-Zahawi, whose family fled Iraq to Britain when he was a child, told The Telegraph: “We have to learn every aspect of the empire, both sides of it. Why do I say this? Because some…maybe they haven’t seen my family’s experience. The legacy of the British Mandate in Iraq was a service A great general, it was then dismantled by the Ba’athists – Saddam Hussein and the like – and set the country back decades.

“And as you speak to Iraqis today, they are taking them back to a world where they had a public service that was a source of pride for a nation that really serves people. And I think it’s important for children today to learn that there are some really important things that we have done around the world that are a real legacy, as well as To some lower quality stuff of course.”

Zahawi also said he was “very uncomfortable” because people “are starting to look at everything from the 2022 goal”.

“By denying the past, and erasing the past, you will never become a better nation, a more cohesive society. Half of Whitehall must be destroyed … you explain the past and you have to explain both sides,” he said.

“There are some really important things that have happened, some great things that we have done in the rest of the world, as well as some of the lesser quality things. And that is really important. I am very embarrassed that we started looking at everything from the 2022 goal, when life was so different. In previous centuries the values ​​of that time were different.”

And on political debate in schools, he said, “The first thing I went back to when I set guidelines for political integrity was ‘Do you want people not to think about politics?'” This is not true. I would never refuse to argue in one of my schools during an election. But I want the children to listen to the ‘blue’ and ‘red’ choruses, and the ‘yellow’ and ‘green’ choirs.

“Because they are forced to listen to all sides of the debate, they must be able to ’emphasize’ their arguments. There is no need to warn about anything.”

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