SCHOOLS must root out activist teaching, says the Education Secretary.
Rules will be issued this week to stop classes being filled with propaganda.
Nadhim Zahawi has acted after some staff were accused of “brainwashing” kids.
In one recent case, children as young as ten were urged to write critical letters about Boris Johnson.
And ministers have been asked to probe a council over reports teachers have been trained to teach “worrying” race theories in primary schools.
Mr Zahawi vows to make it clear to teachers their job is about “education not indoctrination”.
He does admit there can be uncertainty about issues but says his new guidelines will “make things easier” for staff to know where to draw the line.
He added: “When there is a need to address political issues in the classroom, it must not be done in a partisan way.”
Children must form their own views
By NADHIM ZAHAWI, Education Secretary
I AM always struck by the passion and enthusiasm of children in our schools.
Kids want to make a difference to the world, whether through inventing life-changing technology, addressing the problems facing our climate or supporting their communities.
As they grow up, that means tackling some of life’s big questions.
And as they go through that process, they will start shaping their own political views.
Some will decide the Conservative Party is the home for them.
Others will form a strong allegiance to Labour, the Greens or Lib Dems.
This is all part of a democracy.
Brilliant teachers explain sensitive issues that attract opposing views in a balanced way.
It is a difficult job and I commend them for their work. But no school should be encouraging young people to pin their colours to a political mast.
Children need to form their own views as they learn to respect those of others.
This is how we prepare young people to take their place as a well- balanced and tolerant member of society.
Parents and carers need to be able to trust schools to be impartial.
They need to be confident that their children can learn about political issues and begin to form their own independent opinions. It means education not indoctrination.
The new guidance I will issue clarifies the requirement for teachers to make a balanced presentation of opposing views on political issues, so that the complexity of many of these important questions is understood.
It is not for teachers to tell people what they should think on political issues or how they should vote. The next generation is more than capable of making their own decisions.
