English schools accused of shutting down debate on Israel-Gaza conflict | Israel-Gaza War

Schools in England are shutting down legitimate debate about the Israel-Gaza conflict because teachers feel ill-equipped and concerned about their political impartiality, the government’s independent adviser on social cohesion has said.

Dame Sara Khan said if schools continued to shut down debate they risked “further fueling anger, hatred and polarisation”.

She said the conflict, which has sparked huge demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in London and elsewhere, has had a marked impact on schools, where pupils want to talk about events in Gaza.

Days after publishing his study on threats to social cohesion, Khan reiterated his claim that teachers avoided tackling controversial issues for fear of being targets of 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 concerned about the lack of support from the Department of Health. Education (DfE) when difficulties arose.

His study – which highlights the case of a religious studies teacher at Batley High School, West Yorkshire, who was forced into hiding after accusations of blasphemy – recommends the creation of a cohesion and conflict unit to support teachers under threat. The unit would also provide training resources to support schools on controversial topics.

The war in Gaza has caused numerous incidents in schools. In one case, Barclay Primary School in Leyton, east London, sought help from the Metropolitan Police to investigate threats against the school and abuse against staff after its decision to ban political symbols, notably the Palestinian flag.

Although many teachers are reluctant to speak out, one secondary school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Guardian that his school was one of the few that had agreed to hold assemblies on the issue and ‘offer a safe weekly space to discuss this topic. the dispute.

“We’re lucky. In general, management is terrified and teachers are terrified to discuss it. The biggest problem is the silence about it in the vast majority of schools,” they said. they declared.

Another teacher at an inner-city school, who also wished to remain anonymous, said it was a “massive failure” by the schools. “From the start, we were told that this was a political issue and that we could not discuss it. If we don’t talk about it, that doesn’t mean that children aren’t interested in it. They know what’s going on. They go online without any control over what they see.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, admitted members were nervous about discussing such difficult topics in class.

“This is a very sensitive issue. As a union we were very clear: we absolutely condemned the Hamas attack and the hostage taking, but what has happened since then 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 within the profession.”

The NEU has been criticized for a motion to be discussed at its annual conference, which expresses support for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and calls the Israeli government “racist” and “guilty of apartheid policies”.

The motion, which will be debated by delegates at the gathering in Bournemouth next week, calls on the executive to “publish and disseminate educational resources that members can use to increase understanding of Palestine and Israel”.

It also claims that the Israeli government is the main driver of the conflict and calls on the British government to stop “facilitating Israel’s policy of apartheid”, while an amendment states that all attempts to suppress the right to protest and discussing this issue must be abandoned. opposite.

Khan said: “There is no doubt that the conflict has had a direct impact on schools. Some students want to talk about what is happening in Israel-Palestine, but many teachers feel ill-equipped to talk about the conflict while being aware 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 particularly necessary when much propaganda and misinformation exists online – some schools are shutting down legitimate dialogue, which can have the potential effect of fueling more anger and hatred. and polarization.

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, their families and their teams. Colleagues from our teams meet regularly with colleagues across the council and community partners to continue to assess the impact this is having on our communities, including schools.

Glenn Bezalel, deputy headteacher (academic) at City of London School, who wrote a book called Teaching Classroom Controversies to help schools tackle complex teaching problems in the age of fake news and alternative facts, said said: “Teachers are very afraid in this area. a climate of censorship, and in which cancel culture is something they are particularly concerned about, where if I have a discussion in class, who knows if that night I’m going to be all over X.

“I feel like most teachers would say, ‘I have a curriculum to teach, I have exams coming up.’ Let’s leave it at that. It’s not worth it. But there are good reasons why schools should be the ideal place to teach this stuff. If we don’t do this in schools, where will our students get their information? God help us if it comes to social media.

Bezalel also said it was an essential part of helping students develop their own critical thinking skills and learn the importance of kindness and respect in discussing controversial issues. “The classroom is the best place to model this. »

A government spokesperson said: “It is vital that children are taught a range of views, but we have been clear that this must be done in line with our impartiality guidelines. We know that addressing these issues can be difficult, which is why we provide teachers with detailed guidance and resources through our Educating 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.