The National Union of Teachers has “temporarily” pulled a new educational resource which aimed to “illustrate the daily struggles experienced by Palestinian children” , following public outcry that it was one-sided and unbalanced.
In a statement on Tuesday the union said: “The NUT and Edukid are temporarily withdrawing the jointly developed 'My Name is Saleh' teaching resources, which examine the situation of a Palestinian child through the framework of the UN Rights of the Child.
“The NUT remains confident in the materials, but we are always prepared to consider any concerns about publications we have any involvement with.
“Legitimate support of the United Nations’ definition of the rights of the child are something that we will of course uphold.”
The union came under fire last week from politicians and Jewish leaders after it was revealed that it was offering schools a series of books and videos alongside educational charity Edukid that profiled suffering Palestinian children.
Introducing the resource, NUT General Secretary Christine Blower said it had been “inspired by a Union delegation visit to Palestine in 2013, where members experienced the dignity and resilience of Palestinian teachers and young people".
The resource immediately drew criticism, with the Board of Deputies expressing concern that “the literature presents a one-sided and partisan view in contravention of legislation, which encourages political education in schools, but is required to be balanced”.
The resource was reported to both the Charities Commission, which said it was investigating the matter, and the Department for Education.
A DfE spokesperson said: “The law is crystal clear that all political discussions in school should be unbiased and balanced. Teachers should only use teaching materials which are suitable for their children and we trust them to decide which resources to use in their lessons.”
Initially, the NUT responded by arguing that alongside the resource they worked “with many organisations, including the Holocaust Educational Trust”.
This prompted Conservative MP Andrew Percy to respond: “The NUT spokesman’s attempt to justify its indefensible document by saying they work with the Holocaust Educational Trust is utterly derisory.
“Those responsible for the education of our young people, like members of the NUT, would want to ensure that their teaching materials are balanced and thoroughly devoid of political messages.
“As a former history teacher, if any of my students produced such a biased piece of work they wouldn’t have expected to pass.”
Sir Eric Pickles, chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel, added: “The NUT have well and truly crossed the line as to what is acceptable with this appalling document. Its reference to 'Jews' as opposed to 'Israelis' is particularly objectionable. I would suggest this pernicious document be withdrawn immediately.”
But after initially defending the resource, the NUT changed its tack, acknowledging the suggestion that the educational resource contravened regulations.
Its spokesperson added: “The NUT has a long and proud tradition of providing resources including those that tackle challenging subjects which teachers have to be equipped for to address in the classroom.”
Board of Deputies chief executive Gillian Merron welcomed news of the resource's withdrawal. "Following representations from the Board and others we are pleased that the NUT have decided to pull its tendentious Edukid teaching resource, albeit temporarily," she said.
"Pupils learning about what it a very complicated conflict should be given a balanced view rather than this one-sided account and we appreciate the support of government on the issue.”
