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tomnoddy_uk
Wonder Wit
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 3570
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 Posted:
Mar 14, 2008 - 01:16 PM |
 
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| Post subject: Iraq: teachers told to rewrite history |
A pretty interesting read from the Independent online.
Iraq: teachers told to rewrite history MoD accused of sending propaganda to schools
By Richard Garner, Education Editor
Friday, 14 March 2008
Britain's biggest teachers' union has accused the Ministry of Defence of breaking the law over a lesson plan drawn up to teach pupils about the Iraq war. The National Union of Teachers claims it breaches the 1996 Education Act, which aims to ensure all political issues are treated in a balanced way.
Teachers will threaten to boycott military involvement in schools at the union's annual conference next weekend, claiming the lesson plan is a "propaganda" exercise and makes no mention of any civilian casualties as a result of the war.
They believe the instructions, designed for use during classroom discussions in general studies or personal, social and health education (PSE) lessons, are arguably an attempt to rewrite the history of the Iraq invasion just as the world prepares to mark its fifth anniversary.
Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the NUT, said: "This isn't an attack on the military – nothing of the sort. I know they've done valuable work in establishing peace in some countries. It is an attack on practices that we cannot condone in schools. It is a question of whether you present fair and balanced views or put forward prejudice and propaganda to youngsters."
At the heart of the union's concern is a lesson plan commissioned by an organisation called Kids Connections for the Ministry of Defence aimed at stimulating classroom debate about the Iraq war.
In a "Students' Worksheet" which accompanies the lesson plan, it stresses the "reconstruction" of Iraq, noting that 5,000 schools and 20 hospitals have been rebuilt. But there is no mention of civilian casualties.
In the "Teacher Notes" section, it talks about how the "invasion was necessary to allow the opportunity to remove Saddam Hussein" but it fails to mention the lack of United Nations backing for the war. The notes also use the American spelling of "program".
Addressing whether the MoD should be providing materials for schools, Mr Sinnott said that he did not object, as long as the material was accurate, presented responsibly and contained a balanced view of opinions.
The union has protested to the Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, who has referred the complaint to the MoD. In a letter to Mr Balls, Mr Sinnott said: "I have to say that were the MoD pack to be distributed and followed without the legally required 'balanced presentation of opposing views' there would, in my view, be very serious risk of a finding of non-compliance with section 406 (of the 1996 Education Act) at least.
"I do not doubt that there would be many members of this union who would not accept as 'fact' the assertions made particularly in the Teacher Notes, nor, I think, could some of the assertions made in the Student Worksheet be regarded as non-controversial."
Mr Sinnott reminded Mr Balls that a High Court judge had ruled that the film An Inconvenient Truth, by the Oscar-winning former American vice-president Al Gore, could not be used in schools without teachers counteracting some of the assertions made in it.
Mr Balls sought to distance himself from supporting the material.
He said: "I am sure you are aware my department does not promote or endorse specific resources or methods of teaching for use in schools but I appreciate you drawing this to my attention." Mr Balls added that he had instructed his officials "to take this matter up" with the MoD.
A spokesman for the MoD said the ministry had consulted with interested parties over the proposed lesson plan in order to ensure it had the support of the education community. "We did ask the Stop The War coalition to take part although it refused."
The spokesman added that the programme was "a set of web-based resources" whose use was "completely voluntary".
"We have consulted widely with teachers and students during the development of these products and feedback from schools has been extremely encouraging," he added.
"Teachers and students found them to be valuable and fun resources for applied learning.
"They are designed to support teachers in delivering a whole range of subjects across the national curriculum and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales.
"We are happy to engage with the NUT and we will be writing to them."
Union members say they are also worried that armed forces recruitment fairs in schools glamorise the job by citing exotic countries that recruits will visit but fail to mention that they may be required to kill people.
According to an independent assessment of the MoD's recruitment material by the Joseph Rowntree Trust, however, the material concerned was "very dubious". The trust said it had used misleading marketing with advertising campaigns that "glamorise warfare, omit vital information and fail to point out the risks and responsibilities associated with a forces career".
Mr Sinnott said: "On their recruitment material, it tells what an exotic lifestyle this can be, but it doesn't mention that being in the military involves killing people. These things don't feature as they should in a proper, balanced view of what it is like being in the armed forces."
What the MoD's guide says... and what it omits
* "Iraq was invaded early 2003 by a United States coalition. Twenty-nine other countries, including the UK, also provided troops... Iraq had not abandoned its nuclear and chemical weapons development program". After the first Gulf War, "Iraq did not honour the cease-fire agreement by surrendering weapons of mass destruction..."
The reality: The WMD allegation, central to the case for war, proved to be bogus. David Kay, appointed by the Bush administration to search for such weapons after the invasion, found no evidence of a serious programme or stockpiling of WMDs. The "coalition of the willing" was the rather grand title of a rag-tag group of countries which included Eritrea, El Salvador and Macedonia.
* "The invasion was also necessary to allow the opportunity to remove Saddam, an oppressive dictator, from power, and bring democracy to Iraq".
The reality: Regime change was not the reason given in the run-up to the invasion – the US and UK governments had been advised it would be against international law. Saddam was regarded as an ally of the West while he was carrying out some of the worst of his atrocities. As for democracy, elections were held in Iraq during the occupation and have led to a sectarian Shia government. Attempts by the US to persuade the government to be more inclusive towards minorities have failed.
* "Over 7,000 British troops remain in Iraq... to contribute to reconstruction, training Iraqi security forces... They continue to fight against a strong militant Iraqi insurgency."
The reality: The number of British troops in Iraq is now under 5,000. They withdrew from their last base inside Basra city in September and are now confined to the airport where they do not take part in direct combat operations.
* "The cost of UK military operations in Iraq for 2005/06 was £958m."
The reality: The cost of military operations in Iraq has risen by 72 per cent in the past 12 months and the estimated cost for this year is £1.648bn. The House of Commons defence committee said it was "surprised" by the amount of money needed considering the slowing down of the tempo of operations.
* "Over 312,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and equipped (Police, Army and Navy)."
The reality: The Iraqi security forces have been accused, among others by the American military, of running death squads targeting Sunnis. In Basra, the police became heavily infiltrated by Shia militias and British troops had to carry out several operations against them. On one occasion British troops had to smash their way into a police station to rescue two UK special forces soldiers who had been seized by the police.
* "A total of 132 UK military personnel have been killed in Iraq."
The reality: The figure is 175 since the invasion of 2003. A British airman died in a rocket attack at the airport two weeks ago despite British troops not going into Basra city on operations. Conservative estimates of the number of Iraqi civilians killed since the beginning of the invasion stand at around 85,000.
* "From hospitals to schools to wastewater treatment plants, the presence of coalition troops is aiding the reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq."
The reality: Five years after "liberation", Baghdad still only has a few hours of intermittent power a day. Children are kidnapped from schools for ransom and families of patients undergoing surgery at hospitals are advised to buy and bring in blood from sellers who congregate outside. |
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Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it, chased it. |
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Cambronne
Post Roaster
Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 4217
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Mar 14, 2008 - 05:27 PM |
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And they complain about propaganda in China, that even 5 year old kids can see through. Orwells was correct. This is nothing new btw, see that our history books say about WW2. |
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Countless people will hate the new world order and will die protesting against it. |
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Buzzd
PopStar
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 1166
Status: Offline
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Mar 14, 2008 - 07:12 PM |
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Mr Balls sought to distance himself from supporting the material.
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Mr Balls added that he had instructed his officials "to take this matter up"
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This guy's got issues! |
Last edited by Buzzd on Mar 15, 2008 - 12:58 AM; edited 1 time in total |
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Buzzd
PopStar
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 1166
Status: Offline
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Mar 14, 2008 - 07:17 PM |
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Mr Sinnott said: "On their recruitment material, it tells what an exotic lifestyle this can be, but it doesn't mention that being in the military involves killing people.
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I like the ad campaign's that make war look like a video game, only more fun, and with live targets to boot! |
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Buzzd
PopStar
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 1166
Status: Offline
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Mar 14, 2008 - 07:18 PM |
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The UK is screwed..."Mission Accomplished"! |
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CoffeeHawk_0
Board Deity
Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 19090
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Mar 14, 2008 - 09:04 PM |
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In addition to considering those current events, how can anyone say they are striving for a balanced opinion/facts, about Iraq without including Clinton's actions against Iraq, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the Iran/Iraq wars, etc. etc., all the way back to Iran's hostile take over of British owned oil in the region.
Any historical perspective that does not go at least as far back as WWII is irresponsible. |
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Cambronne
Post Roaster
Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 4217
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Mar 14, 2008 - 10:11 PM |
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all the way back to Iran's hostile take over of British owned oil in the region.
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I am sure I should event comment on that. Coffeehawk's history book were already seriously one-sided. |
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Countless people will hate the new world order and will die protesting against it. |
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CoffeeHawk_0
Board Deity
Joined: July 14, 2005
Posts: 19090
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Mar 14, 2008 - 10:29 PM |
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OK, if you can refute this intelligently, reasonably, and without using references to scat, and keep in mind I said "at least as far back as WWII ", I'll stop posting things related to the Middle East.....because, yes, then I would agree that my sources are too biased. No need to go back 3000 years however, maybe 1919 though.
In 1953, the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated a coup d’etat that toppled the democratically elected government of Iran. The government of Mohammad Mossadegh. The aftershocks of the coup are still being felt.
In 1951 Prime Minister Mossadegh roused Britain’s ire when he nationalized the oil industry. Mossadegh argued that Iran should begin profiting from its vast oil reserves which had been exclusively controlled by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The company later became known as British Petroleum (BP).
After considering military action, Britain opted for a coup d’état. President Harry Truman rejected the idea, but when Dwight Eisenhower took over the White House, he ordered the CIA to embark on one of its first covert operations against a foreign government.
The coup was led by an agent named Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt. The CIA leaned on a young, insecure Shah to issue a decree dismissing Mossadegh as prime minister. Kermit Roosevelt had help from Norman Schwarzkopf’s father: Norman Schwarzkopf.
The CIA and the British helped to undermine Mossadegh’s government through bribery, libel, and orchestrated riots. Agents posing as communists threatened religious leaders, while the US ambassador lied to the prime minister about alleged attacks on American nationals.
Some 300 people died in firefights in the streets of Tehran.
Mossadegh was overthrown, sentenced to three years in prison followed by house arrest for life.
The crushing of Iran’s first democratic government ushered in more than two decades of dictatorship under the Shah, who relied heavily on US aid and arms. The anti-American backlash that toppled the Shah in 1979 shook the whole region and helped spread Islamic militancy.
After the 1979 revolution President Jimmy Carter allowed the deposed Shah into the U.S. Fearing the Shah would be sent back to take over Iran as he had been in 1953, Iranian militants took over the U.S. embassy–where the 1953 coup was staged–and held hundreds hostage.
The 50th anniversary of the coup was front-page news in Iranian newspapers. The Christian Science Monitor reports one paper in Iran publishing excerpts from CIA documents on the coup, which were released only three years ago.
The U.S. involvement in the fall of Mossadegh was not publicly acknowledged until three years ago. In a New York Times article in March 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright admitted that “the coup was clearly a setback for Iran’s political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs.” |
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Buzzd
PopStar
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 1166
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Mar 15, 2008 - 01:04 AM |
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Georgie boy and Tony make plans for spring break in Daytona. |
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ChicoStateDisciple
Raver
Joined: Jan 16, 2008
Posts: 416
Location: 3:17 AM
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Mar 15, 2008 - 01:13 AM |
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Mr. Balls
haha |
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Conceived in London, Born in Germany and 100% American from Day 1 |
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Diomed
Reacher
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 273
Status: Offline
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Mar 15, 2008 - 10:25 AM |
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Mr. Balls and an organization with the acronym NUT, all in one piece!
Can you provide a link to the source please? |
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Cambronne
Post Roaster
Joined: Feb 23, 2008
Posts: 4217
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Mar 15, 2008 - 05:47 PM |
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Thanks for the post Coffeehawk. With a bit more background, people can understand better. Your initial "all the way back to Iran's hostile take over of British owned oil in the region" was indeed a highly misleading. |
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Countless people will hate the new world order and will die protesting against it. |
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Buzzd
PopStar
Joined: Jan 30, 2008
Posts: 1166
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
Mar 15, 2008 - 06:35 PM |
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| Diomed wrote: |
| Mr. Balls and an organization with the acronym NUT, all in one piece! |
Damn, missed that little nugget! I think Mr. Balls could use some more supporting material for his big NUTs project. And he better act fast, else he'll be unable to "take the matter up again" in the future.
Mr Balls and NUTs need your support! |
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deeroo
Barker
Joined: Nov 05, 2007
Posts: 175
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Mar 17, 2008 - 10:22 AM |
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