white majority countries
The UK "should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries" although it cannot be considered "a post racial society", a government-ordered review has found
The independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Minorities - which was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson following last summer's Black Lives Matter protests - will on Wednesday publish a 264-page report on inequality in Britain.
Longer school days, a move away from unconscious bias training and the ditching of the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) acronym are among the key recommendations of the report
And one of its major conclusions is that issues around race and racism are becoming less important and, in some cases, are not a significant factor in explaining disparities.
It found that children from many ethnic communities do at least as well or substantially better than white pupils in education.
This high achievement for children from 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 killing of George Floyd in the US.
The 10 members of the Commission have since explored ethnic and race disparities within education, employment, the criminal justice system and health.
Among their 24 recommendations are:
- • the phasing in of extended school days, starting with disadvantaged areas, as part of a "bold intervention" into education following the impact of the COVID pandemic on pupils
• access to better quality careers advice in schools for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, funded by university outreach programmes
• the commissioning of further research into the drivers in "high performing pupils' communities" to see what can be replicated to support all children to succeed
• for organisations "to move away from funding unconscious bias training" and the government "to work with a panel of academics and practitioners to develop resources and evidence-based approaches of what does work to advance fairness in the workplace"
Brentford's Ivan Toney kneels with teammates in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign
Image: Footballers and other sportspeople have been 'taking a knee' 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 regarded as a model for other white-majority countries".
But the Commission also warned that Britain is not "a post racial society" and that "overt and outright racism persists in the UK", particularly online.
The report states: "Education is the single most emphatic success story of the British ethnic minority experience."
The Commission noted that the average GCSE grades across eight subjects for Indian, Bangladeshi and Black African pupils are "above the White British average".
However, it also highlighted a growing divergence in educational achievement between Black Africans and Black Caribbeans.
New analysis for the Commission found that in 2019 GCSE exams, the Black Caribbean group was the only ethnic group who performed lower than White British pupils.
Black African pupils performed above the White British average.
Subscribe to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
The Commission's report said some communities continue to be "haunted" by "historic cases" of racism, creating "deep mistrust" in the system which could prove a barrier to success.
"Both the reality and the perception of unfairness matter," it added.
However, their report also suggested that the well-meaning "idealism" of many young people who claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence.
The Commission found that while there remain disparities at the top of public and private sectors, it is an improving picture and there are increasing levels of diversity in elite professions such as law and medicine.
They noted the pay gap between all ethnic minorities and the white majority population has shrunk to 2.3% and, in 2019, there was "no significant pay gap" between any ethnic minority group and the white majority in employment among those younger than 30.
"We found that most of the disparities we examined, which some attribute to racial discrimination, often do not have their origins in racism," the report said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a media briefing on coronavirus (Covid-19) from Downing Street's new White-House style media briefing room in Westminster, London. Picture date: Monday March 29, 2021.
Image: Boris Johnson previously worked with Tony Sewell while London mayor
Tony Sewell, a charity boss and international education consultant, chaired the Commission after previously working with Mr Johnson during the prime minister's time as London mayor.
Downing Street was last year forced to defend Dr Sewell's appointment in light of previous comments he made about the "supposed evidence" of institutional racism being "flimsy".
Ahead of its full publication, Dr Sewell said he and his Commission's report "highlights the significance of education as the single most powerful tool in reducing ethnic disparities".
"The effect of education is transformative on individuals but also their families and their communities, sometimes within a generation," he added.
"Another revelation from our dive into the data was just how stuck some groups from the white majority are.
"As a result, we came to the view that recommendations should, wherever possible, be designed to remove obstacles for everyone, rather than specific groups."
Dr Sewell said the Commission believed - if their recommendations are implemented - they will "give a further burst of momentum to the story of our country's progress to a successful multi-ethnic and multicultural community - a beacon to the rest of Europe and the world."
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-should-be ... w-12261343
