LONDON:
Secondary school students in Britain are to be taught history of Mughal and
British India and black slavery as part of the government's move to make
students better appreciate modern issues related to immigration and ethnic
minorities.
The two subjects,
aimed at highlighting the influence of ethnic minorities, will join the two
world wars and the Holocaust as periods that must form part of the history
syllabus from
September.
Schoolchildren will
learn about the roles of William Wilberforce, the MP who campaigned for the
abolition of slavery, and Olaudah Equiano, a former slave who drew attention to
the horrors of the trade after buying his freedom and writing an
autobiography.
They will also be
taught about the origins of the empire, with one unit looking at rise and fall
of the Mughals in India and the arrival of the British. Another is titled "How
was it that, by 1900, Britain controlled nearly a quarter of the
world?"
Key figures in Indian
ethnic minority history identified in the new history curriculum include Mughal
emperor Akbar, nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah and Queen
Victoria.
Kevin Brennan, the
children's minister, said: "Although we may be ashamed to admit it, the slave
trade is an integral part of British history. It is inextricably linked to
trade, colonisation, industrialisation and the British
Empire.
Mick Waters, director
of curriculum at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said: "Black
history is not just about slavery - it is much broader than that. It is about
the contribution that black and Asian people have made throughout history. The
benefits are that pupils gain a better appreciation of the multicultural society
around them and the contribution they can make."