A rights based approach to development as a priority for addressing race inequality in higher education research institutions.
This presentation made in Summer 2015, encapsulates a rights based approach to development primarily by focusing on issues affecting researchers, academic staff and students in UK higher education research institutions. I advocate recognition of the International Decade for People of African Descent; as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to achieve inclusive poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Dynamic policy initiatives to address disproportionately low levels of attainment in education, as well as recruitment, retention and progression of people of African descent in the UK, are illustrated here with recommendations. See also the related presentation made to the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent's meeting on good practice addressing racial stereotyping in education, health and other structural processes http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/33961.
Comments
StudyPortals Report Envisioning Pathways to 2030: Megatrends shaping the future of global higher education and international student mobility, indicates global universities are unprepared for the change ahead . “Even with the continued rise of nationalism mobility rates will go up, but there will be change in the nature of studying abroad… we will see more value-added short-term experiences enhanced by technology. While the popularity of the US and UK will remain high, China and other alternatives will advance further (however) A lot of the jobs that people came out of university with that were seen as the most high wage and secure are already being disrupted and threatened.” ( Mitchell in University World News, 2018).
Between July 2 and 3, 2018 I participated as a panellist at the annual conference of the UK Council for Graduate Education, which this year had the theme "CREATING INCLUSIVE POSTGRADUATE CULTURES AND COMMUNITIES". The panel was comprised of nine postgraduates from various universities in the UK, and the attached notes were made to highlight my contribution to " Postgraduate Student Perspectives of Diversity & Inclusivity.
The panel and much of UKCGE's conference indicated that opinions and perspectives prior to the Vitae International Researcher Development Conference in 2015 remain on the radar for policymakers in UK higher education institutions. For example Inclusive, transparent and fair policy development should to promote equality and diversity in education through fully disaggregated equality data used for analysis and monitoring, is recommended by the Advance HE's Race Equality Charter Mark and Athena Swan.
Inclusivity should therefore enable both staff and students from ethnic minorities to thrive in higher education institutions; e.g. equality objectives of UWE's Single Equality Scheme Inclusivity 2020, aim for equality of outcomes for all nine protected characteristics of the UK Equality Act 2010 in both student and staff perceptions. This is best monitored for policy interventions, based on fully disaggregated equality data.