‘We don’t need no EUcation…’

robert whelan, 27 February 2007

By Pete Quentin
At the heart of the EU debate (as with almost everything else in politics) is the question of identity. Which groups, or communities do individuals believe themselves to be members of? What is it that allies them to these groups and separates them from others? A major factor in determining the answer to these questions is historical experience, whether it be personal, communal or in this case national.
Regardless of where you are and whom you ask, if you quiz someone on their identity, they will NOT describe themselves as European – not even beyond the continent and certainly not in Brussels! They may be Portugese, Scottish, or even Cornish but they will not be European. Here lies the fundamental problem with the EU project – it requires the sacrifice of, above all else, national sovereignty. People make sacrifices and bear burdens for those things they identify with and they do not identify with the EU.

The solution from within Brussels has been to keep the increasingly closer integration low-key, while playing up notions of European citizenship; hence why the British electorate knows so little about the consequences of membership. The failure of the Constitution was a perfect display of national identities trumping ‘Euro-sentiment’. However, Europhiles need not be disheartened as Brussels has a plan. The French education Minister, Gilles de Robien knows “nothing is set in stone” – especially if you get to write the history books!
The announcement of the German plan for a common European history book is hardly a surprise, or even an unexpected threat. It is no bad thing for students to have greater access to continental history, if presented in an impartial and objective manner (which incidentally, I doubt very much it will be). It is a bad thing for students to be fed politically biased interpretations of the EU, presented as required learning. This is precisely what the Franco-German textbook produced last year did, stating as fact that “Through its willingness to co-operate with the Third World, its attachment to multilateralism, its dialogue with other regions, the EU appears as a model on the international scene”. I am not sure that is fact!
What is of more concern is the inclusion of a ‘European Dimension’ in almost every aspect of current A level syllabi (including Governance & Politics, General Studies, even Economics), which goes beyond educating students on the form and role of the EU, by blatantly attempting to engender a positive perception. Just one example is the Welsh Joint Education Committee’s recommendation that AS level Business Studies students conduct a project on the EU in which ‘they could use EU flags, currency, posters promoting the euro’.
Furthermore Christopher Beazley MEP’s own initiative report (EPP-ED), passed as recommendation for law, calls for all member state’s education systems to ensure that ‘by the end of their secondary education, students are properly prepared for their role as future EU citizens’. Especially worrying, given that the majority of resources available to teachers are overwhelmingly pro-EU. The European Parliament’s UK Office produces an education pack, as does the FCO, but neither provide a comprehensive and impartial resource capable of equipping students (the future electorate!) with sufficient knowledge, necessary to engage in a genuine debate about the EU and Britain’s membership of it.
At this point it’s worth remembering the 1996 Education Act which states [Ch. 56; 407 (1)] : ‘The local education authority, governing body and head teacher shall take steps as are reasonably practical to secure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils…they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views’.
‘…hey Brussels, leave those kids alone!’