In a significant increase on previous funding, Ireland will provide €100,000 to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to support its Holocaust education programme.

This programme will be made available to secondary schools across Ireland as part of the government’s commitment to increasing Holocaust education and awareness.

Foreign affairs and trade minister Helen McEntee said: “Today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we pause to remember the horror of the Holocaust, and honour the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis, as well as the Roma, persons with disabilities, those persecuted for their gender identity or sexual orientation, or for their political or religious beliefs.

“A critical part of that is ensuring that the Holocaust is never forgotten.

“Today, I am announcing funding of €100,000 for the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation to support its vital educational work. This educational work will be made available to every secondary school in Ireland, more than 600 schools.

“Young people across Ireland — and the rest of the world — must be exposed to the brutal reality of the Holocaust.

“Holocaust education remains a crucial tool in helping our students and all in society grasp the murderous scale of the Holocaust and the ways we can prevent it occurring again.”

She added: “I am working with minister for education and youth, Hildegarde Naughton, to ensure our young people grasp the murderous scale of the Holocaust and the ways we can prevent it occurring again.

“This is particularly important given the deeply worrying trends identified in a recent survey carried out on Holocaust Awareness and Education in Ireland.”

Education and youth minister Hildegarde Naughton said: “It is vital that the horror of the Holocaust is never forgotten or diminished.

“The work of the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation keeps the memory and lessons of the Holocaust alive. It is so important for this to be made available to all secondary schools in Ireland.

“I would encourage teachers, as well as parents, to engage with young people so they understand the scale and brutality of the Holocaust.”