§ Sir Alastair GoodladTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is his Department's estimate of the cost of providing relevant teaching materials for the integration of development issues into the national curriculum; [18941]
(2) what arrangements will be made to ensure that the development education material proposed by the White Paper "Eliminating World Poverty" will be presented in an objective manner; [18947]
521W(3) which Minister in his Department is responsible for integrating development issues into the national curriculum. [18948]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisI am responsible for the school curriculum, including the National Curriculum, and its assessment. There are already requirements and opportunities for pupils to study development issues through the National Curriculum, particularly in geography and history. The choice of materials to support the school curriculum is primarily a matter for individual schools. I understand, however, that the Department for International Development makes funds available to support organisations which produce materials to help schools address these issues.
There are legal safeguards against biased teaching in schools. Schools are required to ensure that pupils are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views when they are taught about any political issue.