Our secondary education has a clear dire lack of diversity. This problem is hugely prominent in our Curriculum, especially that of history. African history is only taught with a Eurocentric perspective: portrayed as little more than a sidebar to European adventures. After short references to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi, the curriculum reverts to ‘British History’.
But Britain is multi-cultural, therefore our past and present History National Curriculum must reflect this: understanding that within an ever-changing multi-diverse society, conventions of ‘Britishness’ will always require reconceptualizing to incorporate all our histories.
The Macpherson Report showed: cultural diversity within the curriculum is one of the ways to prevent racism. Similarly, The Windrush Review recommended that colonial and migration history should be taught. Despite this, 2014 education minister Michael Gove radically overruled the curriculum by insisting that schools have ‘a duty to actively promote the fundamental British values.’ But what are ‘fundamental British values?’ The Ofsted organisation names a British value to be, ‘mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and for those without faith’; yet no direct mention of having a racially inclusive curriculum.
We are far from having religious equality in our society, but if pressure were put on schools to promote racial mixing, it is proven this would help to prevent racism.
Written by Zahra
Media by Ben Hyland
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