Schools in England accused of closing down debate
on Israel-Gaza conflict
Government adviser says teachers feel ill-equipped to
talk about controversial topics but avoiding debate risks fuelling anger
Sally Weale
Education correspondent
Sat 30 Mar
2024 01.00 CET
Schools in
England are closing down legitimate debate about the Israel-Gaza conflict
because teachers feel ill-equipped and are concerned about political
impartiality, the government’s independent adviser on social cohesion has said.
Dame Sara
Khan said that if schools continued to shut down debate they risked “fuelling
further anger, hate and polarisation”.
She said
the conflict, which has prompted huge demonstrations by hundreds of thousands
of pro-Palestinian protesters across London and elsewhere, has had a marked
impact on schools, where pupils want to talk about events in Gaza.
Days after
the publication of her review into threats to social cohesion, Khan repeated
her assertion that teachers were avoiding addressing controversial issues
because of fears of being targeted by campaigns of intimidation and harassment.
She also
said teachers felt there was too little guidance on teaching controversial
issues in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons and were worried
about a lack of support from the Department for Education (DfE) when
difficulties arose.
Her review
– which highlights the case of a religious studies teacher at Batley grammar
school in West Yorkshire who was forced into hiding after accusations of
blasphemy – recommends a cohesion and conflict unit be set up to support
teachers who find themselves being threatened. The unit would also provide
training resources to support schools on controversial topics.
The war in
Gaza has caused a number of incidents in schools. In one case, Barclay primary
school in Leyton, east London, sought help from the Metropolitan police to
investigate threats to the school and abuse of staff after its decision to ban
political symbols, including the Palestinian flag.
Although
many teachers are reluctant to speak out, one secondary school teacher, who did
not want to be named, told the Guardian their school was one of the few that
had agreed to hold assemblies on the issue and offer a weekly safe space for
discussion about the conflict.
“We’re
lucky. Generally, management are terrified and teachers are terrified to
discuss it. The biggest problem is the kind of silence around it in the vast
majority of schools,” they said.
Another
teacher in an inner-city school, who also wished to remain anonymous, said it
was a “massive failing” on the part of schools. “From the word go, we were told
this was a political issue and we can’t discuss it. If we’re not talking about
it, it does not mean that the kids are not interested. They know what’s going
on. They are going online where there’s no control over what they are seeing.”
Daniel
Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, agreed members
were nervous about having discussions around such difficult subjects in class.
“It’s a
very sensitive issue. As a union we’ve been very clear we absolutely condemned
the attack by Hamas and the taking of hostages, but what’s unfolded since is a
real humanitarian disaster and young people want to talk about it.
“Schools
are the best place for young people to talk about difficult subjects but I
think there is a nervousness among the profession.”
The NEU has
been criticised over a motion to be discussed at its annual conference which
expresses support for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and brands
Israel’s government “racist” and “guilty of apartheid policies”.
The motion,
to be debated by delegates at the gathering in Bournemouth next week, calls on
the executive to “publish and circulate educational resources that members can
use to increase understanding of Palestine and Israel”.
It also
says Israel’s government is the main driver of the conflict and calls on the UK
government to stop “being an enabler of Israel’s apartheid policies”, while an
amendment says all attempts to clamp down on the right to protest and discuss
the issue must be opposed.
Khan said:
“There is no doubt that the conflict has had a direct impact on schools. There
is a desire among some pupils to talk about what is happening in
Israel-Palestine yet many teachers feel ill-equipped to talk about the conflict
while also being conscious that they are expected to uphold their legal duty to
remain impartial.
“In the
absence of resources to facilitate such discussions in an educational setting –
which are needed especially when a great deal of propaganda and disinformation
exists online – some schools are closing down any legitimate dialogue which can
have a potential effect of further fuelling anger, hate and polarisation.”
A Newham
council spokesperson said: “Our approach as a council is to provide listening
spaces for school leaders to discuss the significant impact this has had on
their children, families and teams. Colleagues from within our teams meet
regularly with colleagues from across the council, and community partners, to
continue to assess the impact this is having on our communities – including
schools.”
Glenn
Bezalel, the deputy head (academic) at the City of London school, who wrote a
book called Teaching Classroom Controversies to help schools navigate complex
teaching issues in the age of fake news and alternative facts, said: “Teachers
are very fearful in this censorious climate, and one in which cancel culture is
something they are particularly concerned about, where if I have a discussion
in the classroom, who knows if that evening I’m going to be all over X.
“My sense
is that most teachers would say: ‘I’ve got a curriculum to teach, I’ve got
exams coming up. Let’s just leave it. It’s not worth the hassle.’ But there are
good reasons why schools should be the right place to be teaching these kinds
of things. If we’re not doing it in schools, where else are our pupils going to
get their information from. God help us if it’s social media.”
Bezalel
also said it was a vital part of helping students develop their own critical
thinking, and learn the importance of kindness and respect in discussions about
controversial issues. “The classroom is the best place to model this.”
A
government spokesperson said: “Teaching children a range of viewpoints is
vital, but we have been clear this must be done in line with our impartiality
guidance. We know navigating these issues can be challenging, which is why we
provide teachers with extensive advice and resources through our Educate
Against Hate website. This includes practical advice on promoting cohesion and
challenging radical views, as well as providing quality-assured materials for
use in the classroom.”
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário