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STATES OF JERSEY
REFORM DAY: 28TH SEPTEMBER 1769 (P.107/2012) – COMMENTS
Presented to the States on 20th November 2012 by the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture
STATES GREFFE
2012 Price code: A P.107 Com.(2)
COMMENTS
The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture endorses the comments of the Council of Ministers with respect to paragraphs (b), (d), (e) and (f) of the proposition, and would also like to comment as follows:
Paragraph (d)
The content of the Jersey Curriculum is the responsibility of the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture and the Jersey Curriculum Council, a statutory body established to keep the curriculum under review and provide independent advice, research and development.
The Minister would be prepared to raise the issue with the Curriculum Council; and indeed as a matter of law (Article 16 of the Education (Jersey) Law 1999), the Minister is obliged to consult with the Council before committing to any major changes in the curriculum.
The Minister is required to establish a basic curriculum that needs to be balanced and broadly based'. A degree of flexibility is built into the Jersey Curriculum to facilitate the inclusion of local knowledge and, while important issues should be covered, the Minister feels that as a general principle it is important to avoid a piecemeal approach to curriculum development.
Education, Sport and Culture already promotes the teaching of local history in primary schools. In 2010 it launched a new range of online material called the Jersey History Modules, which include information on the States Chamber and the development of the States Assembly, Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth Castles, the Battle of Jersey, the Occupation and the gift of the Royal Mace. In the States Assembly section the material refers to the separation of the legislature and judiciary in 1771.
These resources are intended to supplement the visits that all primary school children make to the States Chamber in Year 5 with the support of the Department and the States Greffe. These visits, which include a student debate on a subject of their choice, provide some background to the history of the States of Jersey and serve to introduce children at an early age to the work of the States Assembly.
The focus of the online materials, which are publicly accessible on the Jersey Learning Platform, is on generating an awareness of the importance of the Island having its own government, where laws are made by the representatives of the people of Jersey. The materials explain in outline the development of the States and the roles of participants in the Assembly today. They do not, at present, include information specifically on the events of September 1769 nor on the subsequent Code of Laws of 1771, but allowing for presenting such information in a manner suitable for the target age-range, they could be expanded to include them.
It would be important to put such detail in context to ensure an understanding of the evolution of the States Assembly. For example, it might also be helpful to provide further information on the earlier separation of Court and States records instigated by Sir Walter Raleigh when Governor of Jersey at the beginning of the 17th Century, on the 19th Century introduction of elected Parish Deputies following the proposition of 1856, and on the major post-war reforms of 1948 which removed the Rectors and Jurats from the Assembly. The latter reforms were especially significant as they
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established the composition of the States as, broadly speaking, the Assembly which we know today. In a fuller exposition it might also be appropriate to note more recent developments, including the move to ministerial government.
In secondary schools, the main focus of history studies is on the examination syllabus, although schools do also select a range of local topics, which are not prescribed, for specific study.
Paragraph (e)
The Minister does not support this request because a process already exists to support such projects, and funding is currently available. The Société Jersiaise invites applications for its Millennium History Fellowship which supports students who have been accepted on MA, MA equivalent or PhD courses who wish to undertake research into Jersey history. In addition, it offers one-off Millennium grants (from £100 to £2,000) intended to meet the costs of specific expenses incurred in research projects into Jersey history. Such expenses expressly include the retrieval of archive material and the publication of scholarly research, as referred to in paragraph (e) of the proposition. Details are available on the website of the Société Jersiaise – www.societe-jersiaise.org
Paragraph (f)
The Minister does not support this request because a process already exists to support such projects and funding is currently available. The remit of the Jersey Arts Trust, which is funded by ESC, includes awarding grants to support arts in all forms. Applications to the Trust are judged on their individual merit, and one made in accordance with the terms of paragraph (f) of the proposition would be eligible for consideration within the process and resources currently available. Details are available on the Trust's website – www.arts.je.
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Statement under Standing Order 37A [Presentation of comment relating to a proposition]
This comment was not delivered to the Greffier of the States until after midday on Friday 16th November as it was being prepared in consultation with the Council of Ministers.
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