Auschwitz school trips saved after SNP caves in

Published on Tuesday 25 November 2008 23:27

THE Scotsman was last night praised for helping to save educational trips for Scottish schoolchildren to Auschwitz after SNP ministers caved in to pressure over funding.

Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary, had refused to provide the 214,000 a year needed to send around 400 teenagers on trips organised by the Holocaust Education Trust to the infamous death camp

But last night, it emerged Ms Hyslop had performed a U-turn. Today, she will formally announce the government will help subsidise the trips, aimed at teaching Higher students about the dangers of prejudice by drawing from the lessons of the Holocaust.

The issue came to a head because direct funding from the Treasury ran out. The Scottish Government has sole control over the education budget and was not willing to provide direct funding. The trips were to continue for students from England and Wales

The SNP left councils to decide how education money was spent, saying they would "encourage" councils to support the trips, but would not ring-fence educational funding.

Ministers were lobbied again by the Holocaust Education Trust at the SNP's party conference.

Further pressure had been applied in Holyrood's education committee during budget discussions.

Ken Macintosh, Labour's school spokesman, managed to persuade all members of the committee to sign a letter calling on the Scottish Government to find the funding.

"Obviously, this development is very welcome," he said. "I am glad that reason has prevailed.

"This is in no small part down to the youngsters who went on the trips and lobbied so hard for them to continue.

"But I have to praise The Scotsman too, which has so effectively led this campaign. Without that support, ministers would have probably not changed their minds."

Karen Pollock, director of the Holocaust Education Trust, said: "It would have been a great shame if schoolchildren in Scotland had not been able to benefit from these trips whilst teenagers from the rest of the UK were going on them. We are now looking forward to working with the Scottish Government and involving more Scottish teenagers with our work."