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Wellington, May 8, 2017
Ten senior students will get the opportunity to join the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium later this year.
Education Minister Nikki Kaye said that the Competition would be for senior students aged between 10 and 19 years.
“The national competition has been organised by the Education Ministry with the Fields of Remembrance Trust and the Passchendaele Society. Entrants should use digital technology to produce a curriculum resource for year 7 to 10 students about the Battle of Passchendaele,” she said.
Commemoration Service
Ms Kaye said that the winners will attend the National Commemoration Service on October 12, 2017, at the Tyne Cot Cemetery near Zonnebeke in West Flanders.
“This is an amazing opportunity for senior students to learn more about the Battle of Passchendaele, and to share their insights with younger students through the curriculum resources they develop. The competition is also a notable example of the innovative ways that digital technologies are being used to transform teaching and learning in our classrooms,” Mr Kaye said.
“I am looking forward to seeing the innovative and creative resources that are developed as part of the competition,” she added.
Deep Scar on New Zealand
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry said that the Battle of Passchendaele left a deep scar on our country, and is a significant part of our history.
“The battle saw one of our darkest days as a nation, with 846 of our soldiers losing their lives on 12 October 1917. It is important that we continue to commemorate all those who fought for our freedom and peace, and we provide opportunities for our young people to reflect on and honour their sacrifice,” she said.
Ms Barry said that it would be the trip of a lifetime for the 10 winners, who will get an opportunity to stand on the battlefield, visit the war cemeteries and understand the sacrifices made by their forebears, just as she did two years ago.
The competition runs from today (May 8) to July 2, 2017. Winners will be announced on July 24, 2017.
More information is available on the Ministry of Education’s website at http://www.education.govt.nz/passchendaele
Editor’s Note:
About the Battle
The Battle of Passchendaele became significant to New Zealanders in the years following the war. It was as one of the worst military disasters, and affected more New Zealand families on a single day than any other event in New Zealand history.
On October 12, 2012, a national commemorative service to was held at the National War Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington to mark the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
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