Why anti-racism education in Scottish schools is not to be feared

This week, she sat down with The Herald to discuss her anti-racist work in Scottish schools ahead of her upcoming Black History Month event on Monday night in Glasgow.

The term anti-racism has triggered confusion and controversy in recent years. As someone who has worked across the sector and in advisory roles with the Government, could you explain what anti-racist education means to you?

I would say the confusion stems from the idea that being anti-racist somehow means being anti-white.

But in simple terms, being anti-racist means that you do something or behave in a way in which your actions are standing against racism. And it’s about standing against racism in all its forms.

We’ve always heard since we were young that racism is bad, it’s unkind and things like that.

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But it has not made enough difference to just focus on that aspect. What we really need to talk about is the institutional aspect of racism. That means teaching how institutions, organisations, and society in general are allowed to uphold racist practices.

Part of the anti-racism message that we’re trying to get across is that you may not be racist, but you may be part of an institution that has been set up traditionally in a way that advantages certain people and disadvantages others.

Most people are happy to say they aren't racist, but are hesitant to adopt the tag of "anti-racist". Where do you think that resistance comes from?

The term anti-racist has become politicised, in the same way that “Black Lives Matter” has become politicised. But the basic meaning is ultimately around fairness and equality for all people.

I say that anti-racism means that you need to take action, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go out on the streets with placards.

People shouldn’t be afraid of it. It’s not some kind of political movement that I’m trying to promote. I’m trying to promote awareness and understanding of what is an issue that has gone on for far too long in our society.

So what does anti-racism look like in the classroom?

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has invested in the Anti-Racism in Education Programme (AREP) and all of the main stakeholders and key players within our education system are involved. (Membership includes representatives from Education Scotland, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).

One of the programme’s work streams is looking at changes to our curriculum. Part of that is the idea of decolonizing: This means finding ways to move away from what has traditionally been a very Eurocentric view in the stories that we’ve promoted and the examples of role models that we’ve used.

At no stage are we saying scrap this topic or burn this book. It’s about encouraging our educators to try and include more diverse perspectives.

Why do you think it’s important to expose students to anti-racist values and lessons?

By the time you get older, you’ve already been fed so many ways of thinking. But children inherently understand fairness, especially within the primary sector. We are always promoting messages of tolerance and respect in schools.

Anti-racist education is about giving them a wider context to be able to apply those values.

Some critics might push back by saying that antiracist education is just another viewpoint that children are being fed. How would you respond to that?

In a way, we are trying to influence how they think. As a teacher my job is not to tell you what to think – my job is to teach you how to think.

That includes how to be critical. But that doesn’t mean always criticizing, it means your ability to be curious.

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When I teach World War II, for example, I teach the contributions of the British Indian Army and of the Commonwealth countries to help win that war. These hardly ever get a mention, especially within the curriculum through primary and secondary.

But I don’t say to students: “It’s terrible that we don’t value them.”

I instead ask: “Have you heard about this before? Why do you think you haven’t?”

You’ve painted a picture of what you and your colleagues are trying to achieve and some examples of how it takes shape in the classroom. What’s next, and what are the major challenges you face?

I think the biggest barrier to implementing antiracist education successfully is the racial literacy of our staff.

The government group that I co-chair is looking at increasing the ethnic diversity of our teaching workforce. Within Scotland, the stats are terrible.

Only 1.8 per cent of the entire education workforce is made up of non-white workers. We have less than 10 head teachers across the whole country who are not white.

So first, we need a more diverse staff. Second, the staff need to be more aware of the issues.

I do think the fact that the Scottish Government has been so committed really helps us. There is very little pushback on this issue from the top, which is great.

But the challenge remains to get the rest of the education workforce to come forward and take an interest. Ideally, I would love for more teachers, and more white teachers, to come forward and listen to what’s happening.

And even though I think Scotland is generally more accepting and inclusive, there remains pushback within society.

In the last couple of years, I’ve been subject to really bad racist abuse online numerous times.

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This time last year, it was so bad that we had to get the police involved. But after hours and hours of interviews with police – telling them why each Tweet or each video was racist and how it made us feel – it never left the police’s desk because it wasn’t deemed serious enough.

That challenge means that people are less likely to do this work. We’re putting ourselves out there and we want to encourage more people to come forward and help, but people obviously are reluctant.

The abuse makes it personal and it clearly has an impact on you.

In my case, it makes me more determined to make the change happen, but that’s not the case for everybody and I am very aware of it.

In Scotland right now we have a policy called Getting it right for every child, and we are not currently. Until we have a change in thinking, we’re not going to achieve that aim.

Mrs. Uthmani will host “Why Anti-Racist Education in Scotland is Not to be Feared” will take place on Monday, October 9 at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. The event will feature more details on anti-racist efforts in Scottish education and its impact on students, teachers and society.

You can book a place for free and browse the full lineup of Black History Month Scotland events online.