UK Schemes Changing The Future For Black Students
If we continue to shy away from Black students' changing experiences and growth, will Britain become a power force of inclusivity in higher education?
In the wake of anti-racism protests all over the world, we’ve seen transparency within industries from fashion to music. Racial segregation in public education has been illegal for 59 years in Britain. Yet schools in the United Kingdom continue to be unequal with a profound decline in Black students developing further into higher education.
Today’s teachers should continue to challenge the lack of support for black students in education, since the Black Lives Matter movement, society has reignited to demolish higher education's systematic segregation. Statues of colonists displayed on school and university grounds have been removed, most notably in our minds, protesters in Bristol removed Edward Colston statue in June 2020. Following the incident, an open letter was signed by university academics in the UK to support the movement “superficial”. There seems to be a rift in cultural perspectives within education, two Black British academics, Dr. Deirdre Osborne, and Professor Joan Anim-Addo co-founded the only MA in Black British Writing at Goldsmiths University. Despite being introduced in 2015, many students are unaware of the course, this glaring example of Black writing not being a vital part of British culture – it will be allowed to fade into anonymity.
But efforts haven’t gone unnoticed for a change. As experts recorded 50% of Black students are more likely to drop out of university, according to two charitable university trusts, the UPP Foundation and the Social Market Foundation (SMF). The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stated: “Black graduates are less likely to achieve a first-class honours degree and secure a suitable job after graduation than their white peers”. Of those, Black students reported the highest rate of experiencing racial harassment at the beginning of their course. A Guardian article reported that Black students are at the highest rate of racial abuse at 29%. Unfortunately, it has become common knowledge for young Black people that other pupils will ask for a touch of their hair, which will be fundamentally disruptive. A general lack of understanding has pushed a divide and normalised racial bias.
Stormzy with Drew Chateau (left) and Joseph Vambe. Photograph by Karis Beaumont/The Guardian
The goal of opportunities is at the soul of many influential British Black individuals, we cannot go without celebrating Stormzy’s scholarship at the University of Cambridge, one of the best universities in the world. The award was launched in 2018, and HSBC UK has invested double its financial support for the scholars. Consequently, Cambridge’s Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Graham Virgo, commented the institute has seen a “significant increase” of Black applicants. In previous years, the University of Cambridge colleges hadn’t admitted any Black British students for over five years. These are disparities that exist still in the 21st century, probably because educators perceive Black children as extra work and aren’t fitting their criteria.
Chelsea winger, Raheem Sterling has partnered with the University of Manchester and Kings College, to provide fourteen scholarships for students from African and Caribbean backgrounds. In hopes of improving social mobility and awareness, as Government data presents, 8.7% of undergraduates in the UK were black. These are problems that have persisted for decades in British education, Ph.D. student, Melz Owusu addressed the institutional divide and joined forces, and the birth of Free Black University was celebrated. Following the announcement, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to fund the project, successfully raised £60,000 and won the backing of both the College and University Union and the National Union of Students.
More importantly, the foundation is expected to be one of many initiatives of its kind: cantering Black students while seeking a positive approach for those from a single-parent working-class background.
Photograph: TheManc (online)
An East London state school in Newham, Brampton Moore has excelled with a record of offers to Oxbridge University. Many of the places were offered to children from ethnic, minority backgrounds. Since opening, over 200 students have headed to Oxford and Cambridge University. The school’s achievements continue to push boundaries - for those in receipt of free school meals don’t dictate the capability of young Black minds once nurtured.
Bolstered by the renewed global interest in racial equality, we need to make vast improvements through literature, lessons, and after-school clubs too! The issues go deeper, waiting for one month in the year to observe black history to discuss race and inequality. At a time when young people are vulnerable, it’s important to provide stability, and representation in the classroom and institutes available. Continuing to lead charities and scholarships as a high level of importance to fund and grow, Black youth can be inspired to follow a journey they have felt to not be an option for them.