Towards Decolonisation of the British Higher Education Curriculum

SEDA Spring Conference, Belfast, 9th May 2019  

The central thesis of this paper (delivered at the SEDA Collaboration to support the student experience and progression conference in Belfast on 9th May 2019) is that in spite of the rhetoric about social inclusion and diversifying and inclusivizing the curriculum to ensure that students from marginalised underprivileged lower socio-economic neighbourhoods and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds progress to Higher Education (HE) – disparities remain, thus this cohort is still under-represented, underachieving and struggling to find a sense of belonging in the sector. The UK education system is inherently elitist: it is underpinned by class-based thinking and the heritage of colonialism. The ghost and stench of colonialism are still evident.  

• 18 year olds from advantaged groups are 2.4 times more likely to enter university than their disadvantaged peers and 6.3 more times likely to enter an elite institution (UCAS, 2015). 
• Currently, there is an “unexplained difference” of 15% -20% points between the proportions of white and BAME graduates achieving 1st or 2:1 (HEFCE, 2015). 
• None completion rates for students from non-conventional backgrounds are significantly higher (Augar Review, 2019; Universities UK, 2016; Thomas, 2002). 
• Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to find professional jobs post university, if they do they are likely to be paid less (HEFCE, 2015; TUC, 2016; CIPD, 2017). 
• The consequences of one’s background continue beyond graduation – only one in eight children from marginalised backgrounds is likely to become a high-income earner (Social Mobility Commission, 2016). 
• Many young people from low socio-economic backgrounds have low aspirations and lack positive role models (House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, 2009).
• There are about 14 000 Professors in the UK; only 50 are black.  
• The American Philosophers Association / Society has about 11 000 members; less than 125 of the philosophers are black.
• All fields have “procedural knowledge” / “discipline knowledge” - it’s hard to measure criteria for promotion.
• Mainstream philosophy in most universities in the West is narrow-minded and even xenophobic. How does one explain the fact that the rich philosophical traditions of China, India, Africa, and the indigenous peoples of the Americas are completely ignored? (Bryan Van Norden (2017). How innocent is the internationalization agenda in HE in the UK? “Recruit them, get their fees, but keep them invisible in the curriculum!”
• "If philosophy won’t diversify, let’s call it what it really is"(Jay Garfield & Bryan Van Norden, New York Times, 11th May 2016). 
• Universities in the UK have come up with a number of initiatives to widen participation (WP) and to address the BAME attainment gap - there are varying degrees of commitment and of success (Social Mobility Commission, 2016; The Guardian 2019).
• Critical policy analysis: on the surface, policy making (Race Equality Charter, Widening Access / Participation, Unconscious Bias Training etc) makes positive reading. However, beneath the surface, things are murky. Policy facilitates the ticking of boxes – there is tacit intentionality (Bhopal, 2019). (i) Who has benefited most from the Race Equality Charter? Its certainly not the BAME groups - gender has been given primacy over race. (ii) The number of students from BAME backgrounds has increased in HE, but there is an Attainment Gap. Does it mean BAME students lack something? No, their curriculum is 'ethnocentric' – it is ‘ideologically white’. (iii) Does Mandatory Unconscious Bias Training for all staff ameliorate the situation or justify prejudice and get people off the hook? How can prejudice be innocent?
• Clearly, universities must “decolonise” the curriculum in order to facilitate an inclusive habitus where all students are visible and have a sense of belonging (Universities UK, 2019).