A former head teacher and chairman of the Campaign for Real Education has revealed key details from World War Two - including the role of Winston Churchill - were omitted from teaching materials.
Chris McGovern was speaking to GB News after a bombshell new poll found that two-thirds of young people were unaware of Victory in Europe Day.
“If you go back to where Generation Z was born back in the 90s, a video pack was sent by the government to every school in the country,” the former head teacher explained.
He revealed that the 40-minute-long video “allocated 14 seconds to Winston Churchill to say that he lost the 1945 election. That was all he mentioned in that context.
“It's not a surprise, really, given that background,” Mr McGovern said, reacting to the news that just 34 per cent of Gen Z recognise the significance of VE Day.
“It's no surprise that there's a lot of ignorance,” he reiterated.
“I'm afraid that if we forget the past, we're condemned to repeat it.”
He explained: “I taught history for the best part of 35 years, even as a head teacher. And I sat on three government bodies writing the national curriculum for history, and I was always a dissenting voice."
Former head teacher Chris McGovern has revealed that key WW2 details were omitted from education material for youngsters
|GB NEWS
“Not many politicians will know this, but if you look at the national curriculum for history today, it doesn't require the teaching of any specific event or personality from Britain's past.
“You have to teach Britain's past, but you don't have to teach anything specific.
The data from the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) also found 63 per cent of UK adults do recognise its importance.
Reacting to the findings, the RBVE said it reveals "a gap in public understanding of military service past and present".
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'I'm afraid that if we forget the past, we're condemned to repeat it,' the chairman of the Campaign for Real Education warned
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Earlier today, GB News was out and about in London to quiz young people on the meaning of VE Day.
One person asked: “It's an anniversary of the First World War?”
After being corrected, she then argued: “I wouldn't say it's necessarily the most important lost knowledge, but in terms of being aware of past conflicts in order to prevent future ones is probably a good thing.
“How is it celebrated? What do they do? If it was a bigger deal, I suppose people would know about it more.”
Speaking to an older Briton, a former school Headteacher, he recalled VE Day being taught to his pupils “every year”.
He told GB News: “It was very much something that we taught every year.
“Particularly in my own experience, my own school, we would make sure that children knew about VE Day, they knew about VJ Day, and they knew about Remembrance Day.
“Every child would gather by the flagpole on Remembrance Day, and it was very important to us. So if they don't know about it, it's not through any fault of the education system.”