Call to address classroom inequality on Global Awareness Day
The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, has pledged its support to International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March), by urging Government to do more to promote racial equality within schools, especially throughout the looming Brexit process.
The call follows the damning results of a recent NASUWT survey, in which only 6% of over 500 Black and Minority Ethnic teachers surveyed said they believed their school was doing enough to promote racial equality.
Alarmingly 49% of those surveyed also believed that they had been treated less favourably in the workplace due to their ethnic background.
More than half also said they were ‘pessimistic’ about their future in the teaching profession, a trend which if it continues could leave BME teachers even more under represented compared to the numbers of BME pupils in schools.
To coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Union has therefore called on Government to address these issues.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“The experiences shared by BME teachers, as highlighted by the shocking findings of our research, clearly demonstrate that discrimination and unfair treatment of BME teachers and pupils is still very much a major concern.
“On the day when the international community comes together to highlight these issues, we are calling on the UK Government to take action to end the blight of racial prejudice and discrimination in our schools.”
