The inspirational story of WWII self sacrifice by a Dumfriesshire heroine is to be taught in Scottish schools.
Dumfries teacher William McGair, who has been sharing her story with local youngsters for decades, has been hired by the Jane Haining Project – a cohort of Christian and Jewish people who believe that her courage and humanity is very relevant today “in light of growing levels of antisemitism, racism and intolerance”.
He will spearhead a national drive to encourage Scottish schools to teach pupils about the Church of Scotland school matron from Dunscore who died in the Auschwitz extermination camp in Nazi occupied Poland in July, 1944, after refusing to abandon Jewish girls in her care.
Next year marks the 80th anniversary of her death and Mr Gair said: “She was an ordinary person who found herself in extraordinary circumstances and her story helps bring the Holocaust to life in a relatable and meaningful way as it puts a face and name to one of the millions of people murdered by the Nazis.”
The Reverend Ian Alexander, a member of the project committee, said: “Jane Haining showed tremendous courage in the face of intolerable evil and her heart-breaking and inspirational story is as important today as ever.
“We are delighted that William has agreed to take this important work forward in schools as we seek to ensure that her memory is kept alive for generations to come.”
Mr Gair is “excited” about his new role and the prospect of ensuring Jane’s life and legacy is shared more widely in schools across Scotland.
He added that although her story is rooted in the Holocaust, he hopes it will lead to discussions about the cause and impact of other genocides in countries such as Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda.
Education resources have been developed and teachers at both Dumfries Academy – Jane’s old school, where she was dux – and Woodfarm High School in Thornliebank near Glasgow have agreed to run a pilot scheme between April and June this year.
Mr McGair, who specialises in history and sociology, was the faculty head of social subjects at Dumfries Academy until 2016 and first started teaching about Jane to pupils in the 1980s.
The outside of the school’s Minerva Building is still the same as it was in her day.
Her name is on a prize giving board at the school and almost 10 years ago Mr McGair led a fundraising initiative to get a memorial to her on site created by local artist Andrew Adair with Academy pupils.
Today he has a wider education role in Dumfries and Galloway and is teaching Advanced Higher History online, although he is still largely based at the academy.
He said: “The story of Jane Haining is very moving and emotional and has always resonated strongly with pupils at Dumfries Academy given she was once a pupil there.
“It is one about faith and sacrifice, thinking of others and putting them first before themselves.
“I am excited about my new role with the Jane Haining Project and the opportunities it could provide and teachers at the schools where we are running the pilot seem equally enthusiastic. We will see what the pupil and teacher feedback on the learning materials is like, what worked well and what didn’t and so forth.
“I plan to observe the lessons and produce a report for the project’s committee which will then plan the next steps in terms of a broader roll out.”
