Classic novel taken off GCSE syllabus due to ‘problematic’ content

The classic US novel Of Mice and Men has been removed from the GCSE syllabus after being deemed too ‘psychologically and emotionally distressing’ for children.

John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel set in the Great Depression has been a mainstay of the English Lit curriculum for years – but will be taken off the syllabus in Wales due to concerns about racism.

Wales’ children’s commissioner Rocío Cifuentes backed the removal of the book, and said it would instead be replaced by ‘a wide range of appropriate and inclusive texts’ as part of a new English language and literature GCSE.

During her research into children’s experiences of racism with the classroom, Ms Cifuentes said many black children had ‘specifically mentioned this text and the harm that it caused them’.

‘It’s not censorship,’ she said.

‘This is safeguarding the wellbeing of children who have told us how awful those discussions have made them feel in those classrooms.

‘They’ve very often been the only black child in that classroom when discussions all around them are focusing on very derogatory, negative depictions of black people.’

Marley, 16, told the BBC he listened to the audio book with the rest of the class while studying Of Mice and Men.

When it came to the racial slurs, people ‘laughed and giggled and stared at me and it made me feel really uncomfortable’ he said.

Rhian Evans, an English teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen, said the book ‘would be missed’ as it was accessible to students of all literary levels and allowed for discussion of ‘how we treat each other in general in our societies’.

She told BBC Wales that although she said the N-word is never repeated during readings or discussion of the text in class, ‘the truth is that as a white woman I will never know what it feels like to be a child of colour in a classroom where they are forced to encounter that word as part of their GCSE education.’

Of Mice and Man was removed from the English syllabus in 2014, after then-education secretary Michael Gove called for more British authors to be studied in schools.

The move comes as part of the Welsh Joint Education Committee’s (WJEC) decision to merge English language and literature into one GCSE, and had employed an anti-racism consultant to oversee appropriate books.

The WJEC said the decision was taken ‘to help us ensure our qualifications reflect a modern and inclusive Wales’.

They said: ‘We have provided a choice of work from writers of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and communities.

‘We believe this new selection will enrich the educational experience by providing a choice of texts that explore themes that will resonate with learners.’

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