A £1 million fund by the Scottish Government will help every secondary school in Scotland to cover the costs of sending students on educational visits to European battlefields to mark the Centenary.
The fund will be administered by Historic Scotland and will make available a grant of £2,000 to every Scottish secondary school.
The scheme will run for “six school years”, beginning in 2013, as part of efforts to mark the Centenary of the First World War.
The First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, emphasised the importance of the educational scheme:
“The sacrifice made by the many thousands of Scots and those fighting for Scottish battalions during the First World War must never be forgotten, and it is absolutely crucial that we take the opportunity presented by the centenary to help young people develop a deeper understanding of the causes, consequences and horrors of war and the devastation wrought by the conflict on communities in all corners of the country”.
“Many schools already run educational trips to the European battlefields, but this additional £1 million in funding will ensure that every secondary school in Scotland is offered financial help to take pupils and teachers to Europe during the centenary of the War, broadening the pupils’ knowledge of the conflict and ensuring that a new generation of Scots never forgets the unimaginable price paid by their forbears a century ago”.
To read the full press release, visit the Scottish Government website here.
Date of press release publication: 20/05/2013
Images courtesy of the Scottish Government website.
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News