Swedish teachers lack Holocaust facts – Clippings and Commentary

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 20 (UPI) — A Swedish government agency says a majority of teachers in the country have an inadequate knowledge of the World War II Holocaust.

The Living History Forum says seven out of 10 teachers failed a Holocaust history questionnaire prepared by the agency, The Local reported Wednesday.

Of 5,081 teachers who took part in the exercise, the Living History Forum says only two teachers correctly answered all the questions.

“History teachers need to have all the facts, or you cannot explain the Holocaust’s background properly and therefore would not be able to put it into context with other genocides going on today,” says Johan Perwe, the agency’s press secretary.

Despite an apparent lack of facts, Perwe says the teachers displayed an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the idea of teaching their students about the Holocaust carried out by Nazi Germany.

“Ninety-eight percent of teachers think that Holocaust history lessons are incredibly important and four out of five teachers consider the Holocaust a great way to introduce students to ethical discussions,” he said.

Source:

www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/08/20/Swedish_teachers_lack_Holocaust_facts/UPI-50261219244385/