| You'd think everyone going to school in Britain should be learning English. Not if the new colonialists have their way... |
The language of division in the schools
WORKERS, APR 2005 ISSUE
THE GOVERNMENT is to put £190 million into schools in England to finance the achievement of minority ethnic children, a massive increase on last year's funding of £150 million. As these funds are "ring-fenced" — in other words may only be expended for specific purposes — we have the potential for divisiveness between schools and between provision for pupils in those schools.
How can the Department for Education and Skills countenance such a discriminatory scheme? The idea has its origins in Britain's colonial past and current imperialist manoeuvering. Divide and rule has ever been the currency of capitalism and underlies the differential funding and discriminatory activities it fosters. And it reveals a mentality towards minority ethnic British people which effectively says that they don't belong; aren't truly part of the whole.
Some people do very well thank you out of divisiveness. "Experts" in the field of education who peddle such tripe as so-called "mother tongue" or "first language" teaching by which they assert that children should not be learning English when they enter school, for example.
These education workers are at best misguided, at worst, mischievous. They create a profession and consultancies for themselves at the expense of other workers' children. Recently, moves have been put in train to develop a concerted campaign — yet again, a campaign to dissuade teachers and parents from their insistence on the teaching of English in nursery and early education settings. Those "experts" involved often display their own post-colonial heritage rather than their membership of the British working class. They act as recruiting sergeants for racist groups.
Bradford is laughingly quoted as an example of where such actions have led to success at precisely the time when Bradford Education is under scrutiny for appalling performance. When local MP Ann Cryer has continued her brave campaign to break down the ghetto mentality which sets so many British children at a disadvantage, in particular girls and women, we find the practice of denying English to new school entrants being lauded to the skies.
City Hall, Bradford, where ignorance of English is fostered, and standards are appalling
Equitable
If the government were serious about tackling underperformance in our education system it would be preparing equitable funding for all our schools. It would be recognising that the biggest factor in the failure of many children to succeed at school is poverty. All the indices on diet, housing, health care and unemployment show that these are the determinants, not race. The percentage of white boys on free school meals who achieve 5 A*—C grade GCSE passes is the same as that of black Caribbean boys who receive free school meals.
Understandably, many headteachers and teachers refuse to discriminate and apportion funds to all in their school. They ensure that all children have the opportunity to use the language the, will need to survive in modern Britain, forged from the coming together of people from many backgrounds over time. Of course migration has to be dealt with. Like most countries, we should not hold open house. But nor can we create a mentality which treats with some of our class as "guest workers", cheap labour to be used as a weapon by employers. Learning the language of where you live is a key step to belonging.
