More evidence of dumbed down Britain amongst our schoolchildren

Daily Mail.co.uk 14/03/2009 at 07:48am

 

A survey of 1,200 schoolchildren recently established that just below a quarter had no idea what Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, was. The research, conducted by the London Jewish Cultural Centre, found that eight per cent thought it was a country bordering Germany, two per cent thought it was a beer and one per cent believed it to be a type of bread.

 

The Holocaust is a specified part of the National Curriculum, but the message is not getting through. Multiply the Auschwitz-as sourdough sample through the country and it would equate to 45,000 pupils.

 

Auschwitz is an hour from Krakow, which you can fly to directly from almost a dozen airports across Britain. It takes two hours. Organised properly, it could be a day-trip. And then there is no excuse.

 

Stand in a gas chamber, look over a glass case full of spectacles and children's shoes, survey the eerie vastness and then try to mistake Auschwitz for a fancy beer. We have time for so many irrelevances in education - anyone for indoor golf - surely we have funds for this?

 

Depressingly in the same survey 87% of these school children could name all four judges on ITV's X-Factor & 98% of all school children knew the name of the former Big Brother contestant dying of cancer. This is 9% more than the number of school children who could name the Prime Minister of the country. Whilst just 69% of school children could name David Cameron as the Conservative opposition leader.

 

Do you find this survey of Britain's school children very depressing or not?

 

This sort of stuff really makes me want to emigrate, the worshipping of X Factor, plastic pop bints, WAG's, Big Brother contestants, Paris Hilton, Jordan, Jodie Marsh, topless models and so on is absolutely pathetic and sadly will get worse

 

 

Auschwitz is NOT a specific part of the curriculum for secondary school. We passed through it last year, focusing mainly on the British side of the war. And how exactly does this article suggest people pay to go on this "day trip"? We do one trip every two years at school and it costs well over £450 to spend the week in Germany and see these places. I for one would love to go but simply cannot afford it, if the Daily Mail wants to pay for me then they can do.

When I was eleven, I had no idea what Auschwitz was. I don't think I knew much about it until the US television series Holocaust. By then I was 17. I didn't study history after I was 13 and that meant I hadn't studied anything beyond the Industrial Revolution.

Edited March 14, 200916 yr by Suedehead2

I never covered Auschwitz at school. I'm not sure if you do it in Standard Grade History when you do WW2 tho. I gave history up as soon as possible, it bored me.

 

I do know that Auschwitz was the worst of all the many evil concentration camps that Hitler founded, and that it is in Poland obv.

More evidence of dumbed down Britain amongst our schoolchildren

Daily Mail.co.uk 14/03/2009 at 07:48am

 

A survey of 1,200 schoolchildren recently established that just below a quarter had no idea what Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, was. The research, conducted by the London Jewish Cultural Centre, found that eight per cent thought it was a country bordering Germany, two per cent thought it was a beer and one per cent believed it to be a type of bread.

 

The Holocaust is a specified part of the National Curriculum, but the message is not getting through. Multiply the Auschwitz-as sourdough sample through the country and it would equate to 45,000 pupils.

 

Auschwitz is an hour from Krakow, which you can fly to directly from almost a dozen airports across Britain. It takes two hours. Organised properly, it could be a day-trip. And then there is no excuse.

 

Stand in a gas chamber, look over a glass case full of spectacles and children's shoes, survey the eerie vastness and then try to mistake Auschwitz for a fancy beer. We have time for so many irrelevances in education - anyone for indoor golf - surely we have funds for this?

 

Depressingly in the same survey 87% of these school children could name all four judges on ITV's X-Factor & 98% of all school children knew the name of the former Big Brother contestant dying of cancer. This is 9% more than the number of school children who could name the Prime Minister of the country. Whilst just 69% of school children could name David Cameron as the Conservative opposition leader.

Bleh awful article. How old were these schoolchildren? 5? It int part of the curriculum at all, aswell :blink:, although of course its impossible to get away from it if you do History GCSE. I'm sure many schools DO teach about The Holocaust, but not until "children" are 13 or 14. And a day trip to Auschwitz? LMAO. It takes 2 and a half hours flying time to get to Krakow, on average. I know this because Poles nearby go back to Poland, a lot of them to Krakow. Plus about 1 1/2 hours check in time at least. Thats 8 hours each way only at airports or in the air :rofl:. And not to mention the costs.

 

:|

Edited March 14, 200916 yr by Harve

Bleh awful article. How old were these schoolchildren? 5? It int part of the curriculum at all, aswell :blink:, although of course its impossible to get away from it if you do History GCSE. I'm sure many schools DO teach about The Holocaust, but not until "children" are 13 or 14. And a day trip to Auschwitz? LMAO. It takes 2 and a half hours flying time to get to Krakow, on average. I know this because Poles nearby go back to Poland, a lot of them to Krakow. Plus about 1 1/2 hours check in time at least. Thats 8 hours each way only at airports or in the air :rofl:. And not to mention the costs.

 

:|

 

That part about the day trip to Auschwitz I am guessing the writer had partaken in a "liquid lunch" as that part is utterly barmy but even if something is not taught at school there is no excuse for people to not know about it, X Factor and Jade Goody and all that lot are not taught at school but kids know about them so there is nothing stopping a kid going onto Google and researching Auschwitz or sitting with their grandad and finding out about the war and so on and learing about the culture of this country in their spare time

 

"I don't learn it at school" is not a good excuse in my opinion for lack of knowledge

 

That isn't a dig at you its a general point

That part about the day trip to Auschwitz I am guessing the writer had partaken in a "liquid lunch" as that part is utterly barmy but even if something is not taught at school there is no excuse for people to not know about it, X Factor and Jade Goody and all that lot are not taught at school but kids know about them so there is nothing stopping a kid going onto Google and researching Auschwitz or sitting with their grandad and finding out about the war and so on and learing about the culture of this country in their spare time

 

"I don't learn it at school" is not a good excuse in my opinion for lack of knowledge

 

That isn't a dig at you its a general point

Fair point, but the article is still 'borderline' lying. British Media commonly twist words and quotes, but they rarely lie.

Over reaction much? I did a GCSE History which included Hitler/deathcamps and Auschwitz was barely mentioned

So what if they don't know it? It's irrelevant outside the world of History. <_<

So what if they don't know it? It's irrelevant outside the world of History. <_>

That's just utter rubbish. If we are allowed to forget historical events such as the Holocaust, that just makes it more llikely that similar catastrophes will happen again. History teaches us how we got to where we are. If we don't understand that, we've got no chance.

 

I don't know how old you are. I'll admit that I was very dismissive of history when I was at school. I still think that was partly as a result of the way it was taught. I was taught about the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution and I couldn't see how it was even vaguely relevant. Since leaving school I've read about history starting from somewhere near the present day and working backwards. That way it's much easier to make the connection to the present day.

That part about the day trip to Auschwitz I am guessing the writer had partaken in a "liquid lunch" as that part is utterly barmy but even if something is not taught at school there is no excuse for people to not know about it, X Factor and Jade Goody and all that lot are not taught at school but kids know about them so there is nothing stopping a kid going onto Google and researching Auschwitz or sitting with their grandad and finding out about the war and so on and learing about the culture of this country in their spare time

 

"I don't learn it at school" is not a good excuse in my opinion for lack of knowledge

 

That isn't a dig at you its a general point

Not much chance of Googling anything when I was at school :lol:

 

The Daily Wail article is still nonsense though. I suspect the 69% of schoolchildren who can name the leader of the opposition is actually quite high.

That's just utter rubbish. If we are allowed to forget historical events such as the Holocaust, that just makes it more llikely that similar catastrophes will happen again. History teaches us how we got to where we are. If we don't understand that, we've got no chance.

 

I don't know how old you are. I'll admit that I was very dismissive of history when I was at school. I still think that was partly as a result of the way it was taught. I was taught about the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution and I couldn't see how it was even vaguely relevant. Since leaving school I've read about history starting from somewhere near the present day and working backwards. That way it's much easier to make the connection to the present day.

 

Dont agree with you often tbh lol but you are spot on here

 

The post you responded to was the sort of ill thought out rubbish you would expect from Crazy Chris and it saved me replying lol as you said pretty much what I would have said

That's just utter rubbish. If we are allowed to forget historical events such as the Holocaust, that just makes it more llikely that similar catastrophes will happen again. History teaches us how we got to where we are. If we don't understand that, we've got no chance.

 

I don't know how old you are. I'll admit that I was very dismissive of history when I was at school. I still think that was partly as a result of the way it was taught. I was taught about the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution and I couldn't see how it was even vaguely relevant. Since leaving school I've read about history starting from somewhere near the present day and working backwards. That way it's much easier to make the connection to the present day.

Okay, I got that response. ^_^

I was just actually talking rubbish. :(

 

Perhaps, I think knowing something about the Holocaust and those others mentioned are better learned starting from near-present to past as you said. ^_^

Edited March 14, 200916 yr by funmaker11

As far as i'm aware the exam boards don't really like to talk about the Holocaust. Not because it's not important, but because some Jewish children might get pretty upset...

 

When studying the Nazis they do go through why they presecuted the Jews and how they did it, but little reference in the specifications is specifically made about Auschwitz.

So what if they don't know it? It's irrelevant outside the world of History. <_>

You go too far, funmaker. The death and torture of thousands of innocent Jewish people should NEVER be described as 'irrelevent' under any circumstance.

 

We will be having words by PM.

This saddens me, but it dosnt surprise me. But like many above have said, i think the article is slightly exagerrated.. i didnt really learn about auschwitz until year 9, i'd only known about it previously because my parents (my dad especially) had spent time teaching me all about it - he thinks the worst thing ever would be for the world to forget what happened, which i agree with.

 

Oh, and i've been to Auschwitz myself. Areally harrowing experience that couldnt possibly be flown to, visited and left in a day.

 

Oh part 2, funmaker - that attitude is unecessary, insulting and rude :/

Edited March 14, 200916 yr by James.

Okay, I got that response. ^_^

I was just actually talking rubbish. :(

 

Perhaps, I think knowing something about the Holocaust and those others mentioned are better learned starting from near-present to past as you said. ^_^

 

 

You go too far, funmaker. The death and torture of thousands of innocent Jewish people should NEVER be described as 'irrelevent' under any circumstance.

 

We will be having words by PM.

He's apologised. Can't we just leave it at that?

He's apologised. Can't we just leave it at that?

 

He shouldn't of said something so stupid in the first place...

He's apologised. Can't we just leave it at that?

Its the end of the matter as far as I am concerned.....