Ireland boosts Holocaust education in every secondary school

Ireland is taking a significant step in historical education by ensuring that every secondary school student has access to comprehensive resources about the Holocaust. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee recently unveiled this initiative to strengthen the curriculum and promote a deeper understanding of this global tragedy. The announcement coincides with International Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, has announced that Ireland will provide funding for increased Holocaust education, including virtual tours of the Auschwitz Museum and Memorial, to be made available to every secondary school in Ireland.

Ireland will provide €100,000 to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to support its Holocaust Education programme. This programme will be made available to secondary schools across Ireland as part of the Government’s commitment to increasing Holocaust education and awareness. 

Minister McEntee said: “Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we pause to remember the horror of the Holocaust, and honour the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis, as well as the Roma, persons with disabilities, those persecuted for their gender identity or sexual orientation, or for their political or religious beliefs.

“A critical part of that is ensuring that the Holocaust is never forgotten. Today, I am announcing funding of €100,000 for the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to support its vital educational work. This educational work will be made available to every secondary school in Ireland, more than 600 schools. Young people across Ireland – and the rest of the world – must be exposed to the brutal reality of the Holocaust.

“Holocaust education remains a crucial tool in helping our students and all in society grasp the murderous scale of the Holocaust and the ways we can prevent it occurring again. I am working with Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, to ensure our young people grasp the murderous scale of the Holocaust and the ways we can prevent it occurring again.

“This is particularly important given the deeply worrying trends identified in a recent survey carried out on Holocaust Awareness and Education in Ireland.’’

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Naughton said: “It is vital that the horror of the Holocaust is never forgotten or diminished. The work of the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation keeps the memory and lessons of the Holocaust alive. It is so important for this to be made available to all secondary schools in Ireland. I would encourage teachers, as well as parents, to engage with young people so they understand the scale and brutality of the Holocaust.”

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation is a non-profit created to secure the long-term preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial by creating a Perpetual Fund, financing conservation of the authentic camp remains, supporting the State Museum, and funding education about the Holocaust.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have provided grant funding to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation for a number of years. The grant of €100,000 represents a significant increase on previous funding, demonstrating our strong commitment to Holocaust Education in line with our membership of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The programme for Government commits to giving effect to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and to the implementation of the EU Council Declaration of October 2024 on Fostering Jewish life. Holocaust Awareness and Education is an important element of these commitments.