Majority of Asian Students view unfair treatment in accessing jobs due to their identity as a problem in England

 

By Dr Md Shajedur Rahman:

 

A recent research report indicates that 70% of 14-15 year-old students in English Secondary

schools believe that unfair treatment in job opportunities based on their race, religion, or

nationality is a problem in England. Among those who hold such views, a higher proportion

includes Black, African, Black British or Caribbean and Asian or Asian British students. More

than half of Asian students in England share this view.

On November 22, the University of Birmingham released a research report funded by the

Leverhulme Trust. The report was unveiled in an online event attended by over 30 people

from different areas including, researchers, media personnel, school stakeholders and

advocacy groups.

The data gathered from more than three thousand tenth-grade students across England

reveals that 46% of students feel uncomfortable or choose not to express their social and

political opinions in school. Only 38% of students feel comfortable expressing their opinions.

The report further reveals that 3 out of 4 students learn about social and political issues

through social media, but 60% of students refrain from expressing their opinions through

these platforms.

50% of Muslim students believe it is bad for democracy when students hold anti-racist

protests at school and are called extremists online.

Professor Karl Kitching, the head of the research team, says ‘we have seen significant

debate about ‘free speech’ focused on university campuses. But government has at the

same time cautioned schools about engaging certain race and faith equality issues, and has

done little to support schools to address such issues.’

He went on, ‘the survey shows that many young people feel their teachers listen to them and

support them. However, there are significant concerns amongst young people about how the

schools deal with race and faith issues in practice, and about how safe and respected they

feel. These concerns impact on the likelihood of young people having access to ‘free

speech’ at school’.

The lead author of this research report is a Bangladeshi researcher, Dr. Shajedur Rahman.

He said that the data collected includes data from Bangladeshi students, and he has an

intention to analyse this information in the future and publish a report.