Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Taking forward a framework forEquity and Rights: meeting

policypractice and public demands

Rowena Arshad OBE

Director of the Centre for the Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) & Senior

Lecturer, University of Edinburgh

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Scotland

“A small country but not a country of small minds”

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Essentially egalitarian

• By dint of being Scottish- essentially egalitarian

• Denial of the existence of racism or other ‘isms’ - however a recognition of poverty and dominance by England e.g. voting patterns

• Public policy did not really engage with issues of difference, diversity or equality

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

A crisis of confidence

• Carol Craig talks of the Scots as a nation that has a crisis of confidence, a lack of self-belief, not having a ‘can do’ attitude- the cup is always half empty rather than half full

• In the past 40 years, over 1million Scots left the country- The Brain Drain

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Devolution and the Scottish Parliament

• When Scotland voted for the setting up of it’s own Parliament- it voted for the right to be different

Inclusion and social justice became a corner stone of it’s policy and political machinery

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Race relations and Scotland

• Legislative changes ( Race Relations (Amendment)Act 2000 and the public duty)

• Civic acceptance of the issue- Stephen Lawrence Inquiry

• Political will - the Scottish Parliament

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

• Setting up of the Race Equality Advisory Forum - chaired by a Government Minister

• http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/social/reaf-00.asp

• Membership of progressive and radical practitioners, community activists and academics prepared to use terms like ‘anti-racism’ rather than just ‘multi or intercultural’

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Step…by….step…

• Public awareness campaignwww.onescotland.com

• Research on how racism affects barriers to progression in schools, colleges, universities, employment, housing etc…http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/red/auditethnic-00.asp

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Step…by….step…• Staff development

Creation of websites for teachers and student teachers e.g. www.antiracisttoolkit.org.uk

• Using community scrutiny e.g. police community panels

• Anti-discriminatory work within Black/minority ethnic communities e.g. gender, disability related

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Making changes at all levels

PCS

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

LEGISLATIVE DRIVER

• Not just another piece of legislation

- places onus on institutions to prove they are being proactive

- imposes duties on those that audit and monitor to include race equality

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

MAINSTREAMING

• Impact assessment and equality proofing

• Using equality straplines

• e.g: University Equality and Diversity

Committee monitors and liaises directly

with the Senior Vice- Principal

- can create structural change- time for reflection at the University of Edinburgh

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Change and Challenges• Toleration or genuine diversity• Maintaining momentum• Ensuring more systemic change : root and branch• Moving to an anti-racist approach• Multiple identities and discriminations• Delivering to raised expectations - particularly

from those so long excluded and unheard• Majority tolerance level shifts quickly - some

minorities now acceptable and others not

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

SMART, SUCCESSFUL SCOTLAND

• Challenging racism- good for the political, civic, economic and

social life of the country

• Creating a nation of people comfortable with diversity and able to conduct themselves in the global market and community

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

SMART, SUCCESSFUL SCOTLAND

• DiversityGood for Society: Good for Business

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

Some measures for change..

• Positive action into public appointments, public positions

• Racist crime- greater sentence• Mainstreaming into policies e.g. school anti-

bullying policies, health and housing policies• Bilingual staff used but with career prospects• Well funded Interpreting and Translation

services

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

REALITY

• Window of opportunity for change might be closing -we have ‘done’ race/complacency, resentment

• Mixed messages - challenge racism but treating asylum seekers poorly is less contentious

• Continued issues of exclusion, tokenism anddegrees of patronisation

• Polite racism: Equity and Rights or calculated tolerance- ‘this far and no more…’

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

POLICY DEMANDS

• Evidence based policy development

• Creating change on wishes rather than real cash

• High output for little cash

• Changing agendas to fit political demands

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

PRACTICE DEMANDS

• Adequate and appropriate funding- not short-term funding

• Practitioners able to be helicopters!

• Meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse but astute communities and individuals

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

COMMUNITY DEMANDS

• Immediate and tangible changes

• Representation

• Power sharing

Rowena.Arshad@ed.ac.uk 29th March 2004: Prague

CENTRE FOR EDUCATION FOR RACIAL EQUALITY IN SCOTLAND(CERES)

Tel: 0131 651 6371Fax: 0131 651 6371

E-mail: ceres@ed.ac.ukwww.education.ed.ac.uk/ceres