[ad_1]
The UK “should be seen as a model for other majority white countries,” although it cannot be considered “a post-racial society,” according to a government-ordered review.
The independent Commission on Racial and Ethnic Minorities, which was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the Black lives are important protests – will publish a 264-page report on inequality in Britain on Wednesday.
Longer school days, a move away from unconscious bias training, and abandonment of the acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) are among the report’s key recommendations.
And one of their main conclusions is that issues related to race and racism are becoming less important and, in some cases, not a significant factor in explaining disparities.
Education was hailed as the ‘most powerful tool to reduce ethnic disparities’
It found that children from many ethnic communities do at least as well or substantially better than white students in education.
This great achievement for the children of certain ethnic communities is creating fairer and more diverse workplaces, the Commission added.
In July last year, the Prime Minister tasked the Commission with setting “a positive agenda for change” following the widespread demonstrations that followed the assassination of George Floyd In the USA.
Since then, the 10 members of the Commission have explored ethnic and racial disparities in education, employment, the criminal justice system and health.
Among its 24 recommendations are:
• the gradual introduction of extended school days, starting in disadvantaged areas, as part of a “bold intervention” in education following the impact of the COVID pandemic on students
• access to better quality career counseling in schools for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, funded by university programs
• commissioned to conduct more research on the drivers of “high achieving communities” to see what can be replicated to help all children succeed
• that organizations “move away from funding training on unconscious biases” and that the government “work with a panel of academics and professionals to develop resources and evidence-based approaches to what works to promote equity in the workplace. job”
The Commission also concluded that since the differences between ethnic groups are now at least as important as the things they have in common, the acronym BAME had “limited value” and should no longer be used.
Footballers and other athletes have ‘knelt’ since last summer’s demonstrations
According to the report, the success of much of the UK’s ethnic minority population in education and, to a lesser extent, the economy “should be seen as a model for other majority white countries.”
But the Commission also warned that Britain is not “a post-racial society” and that “outright and outright racism persists in the UK”, particularly online.
The report states: “Education is the most emphatic success story of the British ethnic minority experience.”
The Commission noted that the average GCSE scores in eight subjects for Black Indian, Bangladeshi and African students are “above the white British average”.
However, he also highlighted a growing divergence in educational attainment between Black Africans and Black Caribbean people.
A new Commission analysis found that in the 2019 GCSE exams, the black Caribbean group was the only ethnic group that underperformed white British students.
Black African students performed above the white British average.
Subscribe to the daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
The Commission’s report said that some communities continue to be “persecuted” for “historical cases” of racism, generating a “deep mistrust” in the system that could be a barrier to success.
“Both reality and the perception of injustice matter.”
However, his report also suggested that the well-intentioned “idealism” of many young people who claim that the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence.
The Commission found that while disparities persist at the top of the public and private sectors, the picture is improving and there are increasing levels of diversity in elite professions such as law and medicine.
They noted that the wage gap between all ethnic minorities and the majority white population has narrowed to 2.3% and, in 2019, there was “no significant wage gap” between any ethnic minority group and the majority white in employment between those under 30 years of age.
“We found that most of the disparities we examined, which some attribute to racial discrimination, are often not rooted in racism,” the report said.
Boris Johnson previously worked with Tony Sewell while he was Mayor of London.
Tony Sewell, head of charities and international education consultant, chaired the Commission having previously worked with Johnson during the Prime Minister’s time as Mayor of London.
Downing Street was forced last year to defend Dr. Sewell’s appointment in light of previous comments he made about “alleged evidence” that institutional racism is “flimsy.”
Before its full publication, Dr. Sewell said that he and his Commission’s report “highlight the importance of education as the most powerful tool for reducing ethnic disparities.”
“The effect of education is transformative on individuals, but also on their families and communities, sometimes within a generation,” he added.
“Another revelation from our immersion in the data was how stuck some white majority groups are.
“As a result, we came to the view that the recommendations should, wherever possible, be designed to remove obstacles for everyone, rather than specific groups.”
Dr. Sewell said the Commission believes, if its recommendations are implemented, they will “give an additional impetus to our country’s history of progress to a successful multiethnic and multicultural community, a beacon for the rest of Europe and the world.” “
