The British school curriculum is getting a makeover. An attempt to translate traditional academics into practical skills is at the heart of the overhaul. Now, citizenship courses will involve a discussion of British values; language courses will include Mandarin and Urdu; and a new course will cover “personal, social, health, and economic well-being.” World history curriculum is also facing a revamp; names like Churchill, Hitler, and Stalin will be noticeably absent.
Some educators, particularly historians, worry that the plan will further erode an already slumping educational system. “We are producing a generation who know little or nothing about the past, and the bits they do know have been carefully selected to manipulate their views of the world,” said Chris McGovern, headmaster at London’s St. Anthony’s Preparatory School.
British educator John White disagrees, “For the first time in English history the government is taking very seriously the question of what should education be aimed at.”