Teaching the History of the Troubles

Significant changes are being made in education (when are they not) and the Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 consultation has been announced by the DUP’s Paul Givan. See link at bottom.

One change that has made the news is that teachers of History must teach the history of the N. Ireland Troubles at both KS3 (Year 8-10) and KS4-GCSE. Until now this has been optional and it was possible even to teach GCSE History without covering the events of the Troubles.

Various sources (Appendix Three below) debate how consistently our pupils are taught about the conflict known as The Troubles but there is a belief that Catholic (maintained) schools were more likely to teach about the years 1965-1998 than non-Catholic (controlled etc) schools.

What reasons could teachers have for being wary of teaching about the Troubles?

No teacher wants polarisation or upsets in the classroom, but the human stories of the Troubles are emotionally difficult and bad reactions can be triggered due to family histories of which teachers may be unaware. (Think of the events of Bloody Sunday, Bloody Friday, the Enniskillen Bombing or the Greysteel Massacre.) As well as the upset for the individual student, it is easy to find a complete afternoon’s lessons derailed and future classroom relationships damaged.

Equally no teacher wants to be accused of bias, but this is always a risk. On BBC Talkback and in the Newsletter, Unionist leaders have outlined their concerns about teaching the history of the Troubles. Jon Burrows said, “this history must be taught accurately, sensitively and without revisionism”. He continued, “No curriculum should sanitise terrorism, diminish the suffering of victims or allow contested political narratives to be presented as established fact.” Sammy Morrison of the TUV said, “It is vital that the voice of victims and the savagery of the terrorist campaign is spelt out.” He advocated highlighting that the IRA largely targeted off duty UDR men, focusing “the fact that the terrorists went and shot the postman, the milkman or the farmer as they went about their day-to-day jobs”, as a way of removing the ‘glamour’ around terrorism.

In the face of pressure to avoid such accusations, teachers may be encouraged to just ‘teach the facts’, but this prevents teachers (especially at KS4-GCSE) from discussing abstract cause-and-effect relationships which are essential for cognitive development and for higher marks in exams. Eg “Was the Orange Order influence within the Unionist Party detrimental?”, “Did internment contribute to the violence?” or “Did the IRA help destroy the Sunningdale Powersharing Settlement?”

At GCSE, short factual recall questions attract 1-2 marks, while more abstract essay questions requiring arguments attract 11-15 marks. Clearly, teachers must teach more than the basic facts. (See example GCSE History questions at end.)

How do Other Countries Control the Teaching of History

The teaching of History is controversial in many countries and several techniques have been used by politicians and governments to control what is taught.

In Germany denying the Holocaust is a crime punishable by a fine or a prison sentence of up to five years. Most federal states mandate or heavily subsidise school trips to Holocaust memorials and former concentration camps. For obvious reasons, Germany is an extreme example, but it is not alone.

In 2005 France introduced a law requiring high school teachers to explicitly teach the “positive values” of French colonialism, especially in North Africa. Public controversy forced the repeal of this law the following year.

In Turkey the national curriculum strictly forbids the teaching of the 1915 massacres of Armenians as a “genocide,” instead framing the event in state-sanctioned textbooks as wartime relocation or a response to Armenian rebellion.

In both Hungary and Poland, the governments have tried to control which history textbooks are available to suit their own narratives.

In the US, President Trump has mounted a persistent campaign to reduce the prominence given to the history of slavery. Trump criticized the Smithsonian on social media, claiming the institution was “out of control” and focused too much on “how bad slavery was“.

The US Department of the Interior has instructed the National Park Service to remove signage, educational resources, and webpage references regarding the history of slavery and systemic discrimination.

Through an executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” Trump has been accused of trying to minimize the horrors of slavery and arguing against teaching that the Founding Fathers were hypocrites for owning slaves while talking of freedom.

Conclusion

I do not expect any legislation to attempt to control how teachers in N. Ireland teach our history, but History teachers will expect scrutiny from parents, politicians and school governors. However, the teachers that I have known have been professional and determined to give pupils the skills to make their own interpretation of history.

My daughter who is young enough to remember being in school feels the requirement to teach the history of The Troubles is an overdue decision, as do I, but what do you think and what problems do you foresee?

Appendix One:

From 2028, schools will be obliged to teach

The origins and course of the Troubles
The peace processes and the legacies of conflict
The impact of political violence and security measures on daily routines and community relations
The creation of Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State
Efforts to build non-sectarian spaces (the Peace People movement etc)