DESPITE lobbying from the Jewish community, Education Minister Simon Crean failed last weekend to commit to compulsory Holocaust education in Australian schools.
Speaking to a standing-room only audience at the opening of the Jewish Holocaust Centre’s refurbished main exhibition on Sunday, Crean praised the efforts of curator Jayne Josem.
“What struck me coming in was the joy, the happiness and the pride when I came in, but you’re quickly brought back to perspective when you’re taken through the museum,” the minister, whose full portfolio takes in education, employment, workplace relations and social inclusion, said.
Moving on to political matters, Crean discussed the draft national curriculum, which is open for public consultation until July 30. He outlined the option of year 10 students undertaking a study of the Holocaust as part of their history classes.
“It is vital that our children are aware of the past and that they learn from the past,” he said.
But despite lobbying from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry for Holocaust studies to be made compulsory, the Member for Hotham did not give any indication this would be happening.
“All students in year 10 will undertake a depth study of war and peace in the 20th century, this includes the impact of World War II on the modern world and will give students the chance to study the history of the Holocaust,” the former opposition leader said.
He added that the curriculum authority was also charged with building lessons of tolerance and respect into the curriculum, which is set to be unveiled later this year.
“Good education does help deliver a good citizen [and] the Jewish Holocaust Centre does a great job in fostering that understanding and that belief in tolerance and acceptance and that belief in diversity,” he said.
Speaking immediately before Crean, Josem said that since its opening in 1984, more than a quarter of a million students have been guided around the centre by a survivor guide. But she spoke of the challenge with today’s students – who come to the centre with piercings, low-slung shorts, iPods and mobile phones.
“Our job here is to penetrate through their digital armoury and get them to think about why they’ve come.”
The museum’s new interactive story pods and modern presentation, which were developed with the input of survivors, will go some of the way to achieving that.
‚ÄúThey arrive indifferent … but they leave different,‚Äù she said.
More than 500 people braved the rain to attend Sunday’s opening, which was held in a marquee alongside the museum, with overflow crowds watching on screens inside the centre. As deputy prime minister, Julia Gillard had accepted an invitation to open the refurbished exhibition, but she sent Crean in her place because of a timing clash with the start of the election campaign.
NAOMI LEVIN
