RECENTLY I attended an event in Glasgow titled Education not Indoctrination. It had been organised by Hands Up (Scotland), a group of parents, teachers and university lecturers concerned about the quality of education in Scottish schools. For me, as a former teacher, it was an eye-opener.

The theme of “you can be whatever you want” is carried through the curriculum. This is made clear in the lesson plan Being transgender for P5-7 kids. The emphasis here is on what children of primary school age want to be, not on experiencing over time who and what they are. 

While neutral terms like family and parents/carers are frequently used, I didn’t come across the words mother, father, brother, son, daughter, sister, brother, husband, wife. Should parents look for additional lesson plans or teaching materials that would reflect the spirit of bringing their kids up as a traditional family, they will be disappointed.

My impression is the Scottish Government has commissioned a curriculum that expects teachers to tell kids what to think and not to teach them how to think. Parents, lauded repeatedly in the RSHP as “first educator of their children”, are nevertheless expected to cooperate. If they are uncomfortable with the content, they can withdraw their child from the lessons. Take it or leave it (and be a bigot)?

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters