TDSB Approves Curriculum Unit On Holodomor

At its Board Meeting on September 24, 2008 the Toronto District School Board unanimously approved that a teaching unit on the Holodomor be prepared for use in Toronto schools by 2009. The Board accepts a motion passed by the TDSB Program and School Services Committee on September 10 to include the Holodomor in the school board’s curriculum.

Earlier on August 27, the School Board approved that the fourth Friday in November be recognized as Holodomor Remembrance Day by all Toronto schools.

The inclusion of Holodomor study in the school board’s curriculum was a difficult task to achieve. The Holodomor Committee at the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Toronto Branch methodically and systematically lobbied senior staff and Trustees to impress on them the importance of accepting and including the Holodomor in the curriculum. Initially, there appeared to be a lack of interest by both staff and Trustees.

The UCC Holodomor Committee was not dismayed. On the contrary, in a professional and well organised manner, it continued to press the issue to the extent that Gerry Connelly, Director of Education, had TDSB Staff do research on the Holodomor.  This research which was the turning point that led to the preparation of the teaching unit. Director Connelly also acknowledged and emphasized that the information and the research provided by the UCC Holodomor Committee was valuable and extremely useful. Trustees echoed the same sentiment.

A two-fold reason explains the School Board’s turnaround to accept Holodomor study in its curriculum. On the one hand, the UCC Holodomor Committee consisted of selected professionals (retired head of history, retired principal, community activists, former trustee, and teachers) who tirelessly promoted the importance of Holodomor study. Despite the initial hurdles, they continued to act professionally and persisted in the Committee’s goal of Holodomor study acceptance in the curriculum. Secondly, educators at the TDSB realised that the Holodomor was one of the worst tragedies of Man’s inhumanity to Man. Like the Holocaust, Rwandan, Armenian and other genocides which the TDSB has in its curriculum, the educators concluded that the Holodomor must be taught to show our students that despite denials, falsehoods and attempted cover-ups, the truth of this tragedy shall prevail.