'Education is...the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.'

Those are the words of G.K. Chesterton, and it's true: the lessons we teach our children and young people should reflect our society's values, and they should be rooted in the stories of our past—the good and the bad.

Whilst there is a lot that Plaid Cymru welcomes in the new curriculum, we feel fervently that the way history is taught should include a mandatory element to consider key moments in our nation's history. If every child in Wales does not learn about these moments, we could impoverish generations of young people and rob them of a sense of their own identity. That is as true for moments like the drowning of Capel Celyn and the Merthyr Rising as it is for the history of Tiger Bay and the 1919 race riots.

The current plans are predicated on teaching children about their local history. I welcome that. But we also need to remember that there is no such thing as merely local history; history that is devoid of any link with the wider national or international context. As well as learning about our native history, the new curriculum should cover the role that Wales has played in the history of the world. The coal that spilt so many miners' blood in Senghenydd and Abertillery was used to power the engines of empire, and the evil of slavery soaked into the sinews of Welsh society too. We know, for example, that the Pennant family, owners of the Penrhyn estate, were also owners of one of the biggest estates in Jamaica, and some of the profit derived directly from slavery is invested in Welsh infrastructure. 

More recent shadows also trouble our door. This week, the 'Cofiwch Dryweryn' mural near Aberystwyth was vandalised with a swastika and a symbol for white power. It was quickly daubed over, a swift message given that there is no welcome for racism or hatred in our communities, but we also can't ignore that those hateful symbols were drawn there in the first place. We need to teach children about the uglier sides of history to ensure that things like that don't happen. 

But, there are also so many stories of courage and resilient diversity centering on the BAME communities of Wales. These aren't only stories of oppression. Our children should learn about people from the myriad communities that make up Wales who have played key roles in the episodes of our shared history. Because who we are is shaped by who we were and molded by the lessons we've learned and some of the lessons we have yet to learn.