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After a while the statistics begin to blur in my mind: 1.3 million people exterminated, 1,000 prisoners squeezed into each hut, five deadly gas chambers killing 9,000 people a day at their height.  Each new figure lands a sucker punch, forcing me to try and comprehend what went on here where I stand.

I am at Auschwitz. The most notorious of all the Nazi death camps.

However, it is the ghosts of each and every individual who perished here that stay longest with me, not the flurry of sickening statistics: The poems, diaries and survivor testimonies; the shoes, spectacles and other personal items that each once belonged to someone; and the photographs of once normal lives – before being dehumanised, degraded and ultimately destroyed – that stare out at me. These are the things that convey to me the true horror of what happened at Auschwitz.

I travelled there this week, along with 130 pupils from across Scotland, courtesy of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project.  The pupils all had the honour of being chosen to represent their schools and upon their return will share their first-hand experiences with fellow pupils and members of the local community so that others can learn the lessons of history and build a brighter, more tolerant future.

These trips to Auschwitz, funded by the Scottish Government, bring learning to life in a unique and powerful way and epitomise what Curriculum for Excellence is about, cutting across both subjects and the four capacities. My visit to Auschwitz will stay with me for a long time to come and I’m sure it will also stay long with those I travelled with, not only helping their studies but shaping their future attitudes too.

Read the news release.

Watch the video.

Keith Brown Minister for Skills & Lifelong Learning