Row as classic anti-racist novel is banned from being taught in Welsh schools because it contains racial slurs

What a good idea. Let’s educate our children to believe that the real world is perfect and that there isn’t any discrimination and no lessons to learn. It will certainly prepare them for when they have to make their own way. I thought that part of education was to prepare the next generation to become responsible and resilient. But hey what do I know.

It appears that the thought police are still alive and well in Wales.

I enjoyed this book in school 30 yrs ago. But that's a long time ago, things change. Probably due an update to the book choices. I don't want to hear or read radial slurs anymore, I know it happened and in this current climate of racism and bigotry, would rather not be reminded. So back this change.

It's all very, very simple. When fundamentalists in the USA remove books from school libraries because they find them offensive, that's Extremism and that's Unacceptable, and we must stamp our little feet and scream and scream at such badness. When consultants in Wales remove books from GCSE syllabi because they find them offensive, that's Progress and Progress Is Good, and we must celebrate the opening up of the educational process to new and diverse perspectives that are all exactly the same. If you think there might be any similarity between these two things, you have yet to reach the proper state of enlightenment.

I have my concerns regarding this decision. In particular if 'Of Mice and Men's was taken off the reading list only due to worries over racism. However, a book is not "banned" if it is no longer on an exam reading list. If that was the case every book that used to be on a reading list or is not on a reading list is also banned. Which they are clearly are not.

Time our decision makers shed their soft skins and grow a hide. Classic pieces of literature should be more common currency in education as they highlight the flaws in the human condition. A well led discussion of the traits and prejudices prevalent at any given time will open up young minds and lay the groundwork for a more tolerant community. It would also expose the shallowness of our times where we adopt postures but often fail to dump those old instincts.

Well folks - this article confirms, in no uncertain terms, something I'd suspected. Any comment I try to make that explains is disallowed or removed. So that's me done with Nation.Cymru. Have a great Christmas everyone.

I re-read Of Mice and Men at the same time as my granddaughter was reading it for school. We then discussed its content. We both agreed that it is an excellent book that raises some key points about society, especially how those on the margins are treated. Steinbeck wrote about a specific time, and set of circumstances, but there are timeless challenges within the narrative. My granddaughter then wished to read more about this era and some of the themes. So the book opened doors for her - which, believe it or not, is one of the central tenets of education. When I heard about the removal of Of Mice and Men from the curriculum I thought it was April 1st. If Rocio Cifuentes supports this censorship (and yes Rocio, it is a form of censorship through denial) then she must presumably campaign for the removal of all references to the Holocaust in our schools, as the "harm" - her word - caused to any Jewish, gay or disabled children in the classroom must heavily outweigh any positive lessons that can be learnt from the teaching of such an horrific episode in world history. Rather than fostering inclusivity, decisions like this diminish our understanding of these significant issues, and actually lessen the chances of reducing their debilitating impact in the future. It is depressing to discover that the WJEC and our Children's Commissioner are so blinkered and naive.

Never read it. Looked up a précis to see why people are upset and don't think I ever will read it based on that précis, apart from the race issues, it sounds dire with the other connotations. But if this is only aimed at one learning level then many objections are removed right away. And I can totally see why it does have an impact on people as per article, we have their concerns told to us. But if people are so objected by this then it is not banned, it is not hidden in quiet corners, it is openly on sale. They can go buy it. Forgot about Jeff Jones, didn't rate him way back when either.

This is an example of the infantilisation of those who claim to be the judges of our ethics. The book in question is well-respected as a classic of story-telling. The idea that it should be banned for a few racial slurs is incredible, especially if such slurs are in the speech of the characters. Have these arbiters of morality learned nothing from previous episodes of book censorship? The proper way to deal with these issues is to point them out as examples of how people spoke at the time and then move on to a discussion of the narrative itself. What next - do they expect to be applauded as they ceremonially set alight a pile of forbidden texts? They should stick to censoring children's books; no doubt that will keep them busy.

I wonder what these eminent people would say if someone pointed out that the bible has racism, homophobia, domestic violence and could probably be seen as having views fundamental to British values. … mind you, not many people it.

Steinbeck is a giant, a titan of literature. Those supporting this ban probably haven't read him, but just looked up the offending word and then burst into a righteous fury. Minnows.