All pupils in Wales are to be taught about racism and the contributions of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, the devolved government has said.
Under changes to the curriculum the teaching of BAME histories will be mandatory, with the Labour-led government saying this would help young people grow into “ethical and informed citizens”.
Prof Charlotte Williams, who led a working group created by the Welsh government to look at the teaching of minority ethnic contributions through history, said there was considerable evidence of racial inequality in Wales’s education system.
She said: “The attainment of children and young people from some minority communities is being hampered by a curriculum that has failed to represent their histories, and the contributions of their communities, past and present. They are hampered by the lack of positive role models in an education workforce that does not adequately reflect the ethnically diverse profile of Wales; and they are hampered by experiences of racism in their everyday school life. This must change.”
Williams said the new curriculum, due to begin next year, was a chance for significant change and it was the right of “every child to learn about histories and contributions that have shaped the Welsh nation”.
A report produced by the working group makes 51 recommendations, including:
Mandatory anti-racism and diversity training for all trainee and acting teachers.
BAME history to be mandatory in schools.
Scholarships to support more BAME students to enter teacher training.
Mentoring and social support to be offered to all teachers from BAME backgrounds.
Williams said: “What happens in schools across Wales, the way in which they engage, take forward and sustain the concerns of this report is critically important to the wellbeing of all children and young people in Wales, to the wellbeing of those from minority backgrounds and to the wellbeing of society as a whole.
“Education alone cannot address the social, cultural and structural factors that sustain racial inequality. However, education can take us a long way forward in producing the ethical and informed citizens of the future.”
The Welsh government said £500,000 would be provided to support the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
The Welsh education minister, Kirsty Williams, said: “As the report states, our new curriculum can only be enriched by revealing the diversity of perspectives and contributions made by the ethnic minority communities to the development of Wales across its history and in the present.
“If we are to achieve one of the core purposes of our new curriculum, to develop young people who are ‘ethical and informed citizens of Wales and the world’, we must ensure children’s experiences are expanded though engagement with ethnic minority perspectives, themes and contributions.”