Scientia potestas est – knowledge is power – is an idea so famous that it is known by even those with very little of it. Yet too many on the Left disregard it. Like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who held that teaching children knowledge corrupts their innate values, they view the teaching of facts as “right-wing, regressive and redundant”. All facts and figures, as they see it, are subjective, open to debate, and of their age; it’s far better to arm children with skills such as critical thinking that can stand the test of time.

Wrong. With no respect for what’s actually the case, everything “is up for grabs”. No wonder there’s been a surge in conspiracy theories in recent years; no wonder Donald Trump can lie with impunity. The sidelining of knowledge erodes faith in experts and accredited sources of information, leaving people vulnerable to manipulation by dangerous populists. The Tories’ education policy is flawed in many ways, but let’s at least applaud them for their championing of a knowledge-based curriculum. (Richard Russell, The Guardian)

The fact is that we need children both to absorb facts and to develop critical thinking. The two are not mutually incompatible. But we keep dickering with the way teachers teach. Every new Minister of Education wants to make his or her mark with new curriculums, additions and exceptions. The fact is that you can have a knowledge-based curriculum that also allows for critical thinking. Here is a rather obvious example in European history, if you want to get pupils to write an essay:

Fact: Napoleon and Hitler both invaded Russia.
Critical thought: why have successive Tsars, Putin included, been paranoid about Western “plotting”? Use your knowledge of geography, American politics, the expansion of the EU and NATO etc to illustrate your essay.