A/68/296 relevant ministries of education and is therefore not used openly in Israeli and Palestinian schools. 21 84. In Canada, there have been interesting developments regarding the history of indigenous peoples. In 2011, the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, published, as mandated, a history book on the residential school system, which affected many generations of indigenous children. It remains to be seen how such history can be included in the mainstream curriculum (see www.trc.ca). Brazil, for its part, has introduced the compulsory study of the general history of Africa and the history of people of African descent in primary and secondary schools, but has encountered difficulties in implementing the law (see A/HRC/17/38/Add.1, para. 29). 85. Across the world, organizations have developed that promote history textbook revision and dialogue, including, in particular, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, the European Association of History Educators, the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education and the Northeast Asian History Foundation. States and other stakeholders are encouraged to support the establishment of similar institutions in other regions. VII. Conclusion and recommendations 86. In too many cases around the world, the historical narratives promoted by States in schools are problematic from a human rights perspective. In promoting nationalistic political agendas and/or monolithic views of dominant powers, education policies relating to history teaching fail to acknowledge cultural diversity and the multiplicity of historical narratives between and within communities. Those policies are at odds with the right to education, the right of all individuals, groups and peoples to enjoy and to have access to their own cultural heritage as well as that of others, the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to information, regardless of frontiers. In many instances, such policies depend on unjustified restrictions on academic freedoms and the promotion of a single history textbook in schools. In the most acute cases of conflict, such policies can be seen as either the continuation of war in the area of culture and education, or as a means to prepare revenge in the future. They constitute worrying obstacles to peacemaking and peacebuilding. 87. The right of children to develop their own historical perspective throughout education is to be considered an integral part of the right to education. Indoctrination on any grounds, including political or religious ideology, should not be tolerated in either public or private schools. History teaching should be based on the understanding of history as an academic discipline. 88. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States make or continue efforts to reform school history curricula. In particular: __________________ 21 22/27 See www.gei.de/en/research/textbooks-and-conflict/4-learning-in-post-conflict-societies/ schulbuchprojek-israel-palestina.html. 13-42291