Starting next September, Of Mice and Men will no longer be studied in GCSE courses in Wales due to the concerns over the use of racial slurs. The book, set in the 1930s, has been a staple of the English literature qualification for many years. The Welsh Children’s Commissioner, Rocio Cifuentes, supported the move, saying that discussing the book had been damaging to some Black children. The Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) responsible for setting the qualifications said that it had chosen a wide variety of “inclusive texts.”
According to the Ms Cifuentes, who conducted research on racism in secondary schools, students had told her about the harm caused by discussing the book in class. She added that while discussions about race and racism could be beneficial for students, using alternative texts that offer the same opportunities but are less harmful is crucial.
Bowen Cole, a former Welsh Youth Parliament member, who studied another classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, that is also not included in the new qualification, said that it is problematic to use racist language in discussions on such books. Marley, who listened to the audio book with the rest of his class, felt uncomfortable adding that the book contains language that should not be used in today’s age.
Rhian Evans, an English teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen, commented that the book fosters significant themes about treating each other in societies. She said that it is a popular choice because it is accessible for children of all abilities. Harry, a seventeen-year-old student, agreed and added that the classroom was a safe space for such sensitive discussions.
The new qualification is part of a more extensive initiative to overhaul qualifications in Wales. The WJEC said that it consulted a broad range of organisations and believed that its new selection of texts would provide pupils with themes that would resonate with them and enrich their educational experience. Of Mice and Men remains an optional text in Northern Ireland. A major examination board in England dropped the novel in 2014, asserting that they preferred British works
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
