Teachers across Victoria will be offered the chance to meet Holocaust survivors as part of a campaign to educate students about the tragic period in history and tackle concerns about anti-Semitism.
The Victorian government has expanded its partnership with Gandel Philanthropy that provides professional learning on the subject of the Holocaust to secondary school teachers.
The jointly funded initiative comes a year after Victorian Education Minister James Merlino made it compulsory for all government secondary schools to teach the Holocaust and tackle broader issues of racism and prejudice. Although the Holocaust is listed in the state’s curriculum, it was not necessarily taught in all schools.
Mr Merlino said at the time he was concerned “most kids today wouldn’t be able to explain what the Holocaust was”. He said anti-Semitism was on the rise around the world and “sadly we are not immune”.
“A much greater emphasis on the teaching of the Holocaust will have a big impact on our students’ understanding of how much damage anti-Semitic behaviour can cause,” he said on Wednesday. The program aims to help teachers and students recognise the short and long-term causes and effects of prejudice, discrimination and, ultimately, genocide. It teaches students to become “informed and active citizens, protect democracy, and value a diverse and inclusive society”.
Read the article by Rebecca Urban in The Australian.