History exam focus 'wrong', says Gove

Speaking to The Guardian on 24th November 2011, Education Secretary Michael Gove commented that "we need to ensure our GCSEs and national curriculum are better aligned and critically they're better aligned so that our students have a better understanding of the linear narrative of British history and Britain's impact on the world and the world's impact on Britain."

These comments were made in response to the findings of Cardiff University's Professor Derek Matthews regarding the paucity in history undergraduate knowledge of British History, according to whom many believe incorrectly that Napoleon led the British forces at the Battle of Trafalgar.

For Gove, addressing this issue would "give people the chance to be proud of our past and, in particular, proud of the heroes and heroines that fought for freedom over time".

However, this contention was countered by Shadow Schools Minister Kevin Brennan, who argued that "the emphasis on studying history should not be placed on a particular narrative that has merely a political agenda", and that furthermore history tuition "needs to go beyond simply glorifying our past, so that students can critically engage with the past and understand how it affects them as individuals in the present."

Foreshadowing this, Gove claims that this "doesn't mean airbrushing out times when horrific things have been done."

This report comes at a time when the humanities are shown to be emerging from years in the doldrums, with a rise of 9% in candidates taking the History GCSE option between the years 2010 and 2013.

For the original story, visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/nov/24/michael-gove-british-history-neglected