Schools must teach children ‘how to think, not what to think’ – Zahawi

The Education Secretary says children are not “snowflakes” and must be exposed to all points of view.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi during the Conservative Party Spring Forum at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Nadhim Zahawi said young people “aren’t snowflakes” and schools must teach children “how to think, not what to think”.

The Education Secretary said the issue of political impartiality in classrooms is “a complaint I’m hearing more and more” as he urged teachers to cover “the full range of political issues they need to”.

In a speech to the Conservative Spring Forum in Blackpool, Mr Zahawi said “none of us want to stop children learning about politics, quite the opposite” – but said there are some who are “keen to either shut down free speech or to only present one side of an opinion”.

“We all know that political issues are complicated and often sensitive,” he said.

“And this is especially the case in schools where children start questioning the world and wondering why things are the way they are.

“This can include questions about our history, how to tackle climate change, all the way through to the contested views on race and identity issues.”

It was announced this week that schools will have a new “model history curriculum” by 2024 as part of the Inclusion Britain strategy, which is a response to a controversial report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (Cred) last year.

Writing in the Daily Mail, equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said: “We need to be able to talk about race and tackle racism without creating a more racialised society.”

The Daily Telegraph reported that Ms Badenoch told an event launching the strategy on Thursday that the use of critical race theory to teach anti-racism in schools is “morally wrong”, adding: “What you are seeing in schools… it is absolutely terrifying.”

Mr Zahawi said on Friday that he recognises some issues are “challenging to teach”.

But he said it is “important, very important, that where concerns about impartiality arise, they are treated seriously and handled with the necessary sensitivity”.

He said: “That is why I have issued updated guidance to help schools understand how they should go about meeting their legal duties, allowing issues to be resolved through constructive dialogue and agreement.”

He added: “After all, as Ronald Reagan once said, how do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”