Se és contra ações afirmativas, veja quem está fazendo; se és a favor, veja como dá para fazer de maneira planejada e focada em resultados positivos.

The Government has launched measures to drive change in tackling inequalities between ethnic groups in higher education.

Measures to improve outcomes for ethnic minority students in higher education were announced by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Lidington and the Universities Minister Chris Skidmore today (1 February).

The measures are part of a bold cross-government effort to “explain or change” ethnic disparities highlighted by the Prime Minister’s Race Disparity Audit website, so people can achieve their true potential, whatever their background and circumstances.

Universities will now be held to account on how they will improve outcomes for underrepresented students, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds, through powers of the Office for Students, who will scrutinise institutions’ Access and Participation plans.

All universities will now have to publish data on admissions and attainment, broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio-economic background, to shine a spotlight on those making good progress and those lagging behind.

League table providers are being encouraged to present better information on social mobility and underrepresented groups, while the Office for Students is developing a new website to replace Unistats, which will have a greater focus on supporting those who are less likely to enter higher education.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Lidington said:

I am determined that nobody experiences a worse outcome solely on the grounds of their ethnicity. Which is why the Government is making a clear and concerted effort, alongside higher education partners, to tackle these injustices.

These ethnic disparities in higher education cannot be tackled overnight, but I look forward to seeing meaningful and sustained progress in the higher education sector in the next few years.

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said:

Universities need to reflect modern Britain, and ensure that everyone who has the potential, no matter their background or where they are from can thrive at university. I fully expect access and participation plans, which universities will be drawing up this year for implementation in 2020-21, to contain ambitious and significant actions to make sure we are seeing material progress in this space in the next few years.

It is one of my key priorities as the Universities Minister to ensure that I work with universities to highlight examples of best practice in widening not only access, but also we redouble our efforts to tackle student dropout rates. It cannot be right that ethnic minority students are disproportionately dropping out of university and I want to do more to focus on student experience to help ethnic minority students succeed at university.

Chris Millward, Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students, said:

We are placing greater demands on universities to close the attainment gaps between ethnic minority students and others. We are also providing greater support for all universities to improve their practice in this area by funding collaborative projects and sharing effective practice. Our new approach to access and participation requires universities to improve their use of evidence and evaluation to identify the specific challenges faced by their own students, and to make interventions that work.

Where we see lower proportions of ethnic minority students continuing with their studies, achieving the best degree outcomes, or progressing into graduate jobs, we expect universities to have a measurable plan of action to address this. Today, we are publishing new research and guidance to support universities in effectively targeting their work for students from minority ethnic backgrounds, so they can make the changes that are needed if we are to achieve equality for all.

Professor Edward Byrne AC, President and Principal of King’s College London:

Tackling race disparity outcomes is important and we welcome the Minister’s visit to King’s today. I am proud of the diverse international community we have here at King’s, in 2017/18 49% of our undergraduates were from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, and we have the fastest growing population of low-income students in the Russell Group.

Over the past seven years we have significantly reduced the gap between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and non-BAME students achieving a first or 2.1, from 11.1% in 2011/12 to 3.8% in 2017/18.  It is great for our staff and students to have the opportunity to engage with Government at such a high level in a pro-active and meaningful way as at the roundtable this morning. I look forward to working further with Government, partners and communities to build on the work we’re already doing to improve student attainment and staff progression, regardless of an individual’s background.

The full list of measures announced today involves action by the Government, the university regulator and sector groups, including:

• Holding universities to account through their Access and Participation plans – scrutinised by the Office for Students who will use their powers to challenge institutions failing to support this.
• Putting pressure on university league tables to include progress in tackling access and attainment disparities – working with a wide range of experts, stakeholders and league table compilers.
• Providing better information for students – the Office for Students will develop a new website to replace the Unistats website and take the needs of disadvantaged students into account.
• Reducing ethnic disparities in research and innovation funding – UK Research and Innovation is commissioning evidence reviews on challenges for equality and diversity and how they can be addressed.
• Reviewing the Race Equality Charter – Advance HE will look at how the sector charter can best support better outcomes for both ethnic minority staff and students.
• Encouraging institutions to address race disparities in their workforce – using tools such as the Race at Work Charter and Race Equality Charter.
• Gathering evidence on what works to improve ethnic minority access and success – through the Evidence and Impact Exchange.

Figures from the Race Disparity Unit’s Ethnicity Facts & Figure’s website and Office for Students show that while record numbers of ethnic minorities are attending university, only 56% of black students achieved a First or 2:1 compared to 80% of their white peers in 2016/2017, and black students are the most likely to drop out of university. In the workforce, only 2% of academic staff are black. White British low-income males remain the least likely to attend higher education.

The Government is committed to working with higher education providers to do everything we can to ensure that a student’s outcomes are determined by their hard work and talent – rather than their ethnic background.

Fonte: U. K. Government – February 2.019

PGE, ACADEPOL e COGEPOL trabalhando juntas

Fonte : comunicação social da PGE/RS

O outro lado da história

Educação | Lei que prevê ensino de história e cultura africana, afro-brasileira e indígena, em vigor há mais de 15 anos, segue enfrentando desafios para sua implementação

“Todos aqui têm bunda?” A curiosa provocação desperta surpresa e algumas risadas nos educadores que participam da formação oferecida pela Secretaria Municipal de Educação (SMED) de Porto Alegre. Depois de alguns segundos, a coordenadora de Igualdade Racial e Diversidade da instituição, Patrícia Pereira, completa seu raciocínio: “Claro que todos aqui têm bunda. E essa é mais uma contribuição africana para a língua portuguesa. A origem da palavra é uma referência ao povo Mbunda, um dos tantos explorados e escravizados pelos portugueses”. 

O exemplo foi usado por Patrícia durante evento que tem como objetivo adequar as políticas pedagógicas das 99 escolas mantidas pelo município e das 216 instituições particulares conveniadas para que cumpram o artigo 26-A da Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional, que determina o ensino de cultura e história afro-brasileira, africana e indígena. Estabelecido em 2003 e reformulado pela Lei n.º 11.645, de 2008, o artigo ainda encontra obstáculos na prática. “Há muitos professores que não tiveram esse estudo na formação inicial e não foram atrás. Existe muita resistência, principalmente nos professores mais antigos e em pessoas ligadas a religiões. Tem pessoas que questionam até a escravidão e o holocausto. Se a terra é plana, tudo é possível”, pondera.

A coordenadora lembra que o conhecimento produzido historicamente no continente africano pode ser usado em todas as áreas: “Às vezes algum professor me pergunta: ‘Mas como vou usar história da África para ensinar matemática?’. Essa desinformação se combate com conhecimento, porque nesses casos eu pergunto: ‘Onde surgiu a matemática? E a geometria? Qual o primeiro estudo aritmético que tem no mundo? Já ouviu falar no osso de Lebombo? [Descoberto na Suazilândia, o osso de Lebombo é considerado o mais antigo artefato matemático de que se tem conhecimento. Acredita-se que o osso de babuíno com entalhes fosse usado para registrar a passagem do tempo e cálculos. Sua idade é estimada em 35 mil anos.] Está tudo na África, que é o berço da humanidade. Às vezes o professor cobra conhecimento científico, mas o que considera ciência? Pede para tratarmos de civilizações, mas qual o conceito de civilização? Hoje em dia há dados disponíveis, muito difícil não achar material, só se não quiser. Mas aí é porque o preconceito é maior que a vontade de conhecimento”. 

Perspectiva

Professor da rede pública desde 1998, Paulo Sérgio Silva confirma a falha na formação dos educadores. “Na faculdade não tive nenhuma cadeira sobre história da África. Fui aprender em cursos de fora, assim como com a militância do movimento negro. E boa parte da reflexão sobre o ensino da cultura e história africanas e afro-brasileiras não surge da academia, mas desses movimentos sociais. A primeira versão da lei é de 2003; já estamos em 2019 e ano passado a Universidade colocou uma disciplina obrigatória sobre história da África na licenciatura.”

Essas lacunas se refletem não só no ensino, mas no interesse despertado nos alunos. “É importante resgatar a história da África com um viés positivo, e não só a partir da escravidão, como é usual nas escolas. Um aluno olha pra trás e vai dizer: ‘O meu tataravô apanhava, eu não quero ver isso, é só desgraça e sofrimento’. E não vai querer refletir sobre isso”, observa. Para Paulo, é essencial mostrar as grandes potencialidades desenvolvidas no continente ao longo do tempo, lembrar que antes da Grécia antiga, antes do Império romano havia o império da Núbia, o reino de Kush e o Egito, que muitas vezes é tratado como se não fosse na África. “A perspectiva histórica ensinada na universidade é eurocêntrica, então acaba se relegando a um plano inferior toda a contribuição de outros lugares, como da África, da Ásia e dos povos originários das Américas”, aponta o professor, que leciona na Escola Municipal Dr. Liberato Salzano Vieira da Cunha.

Localizada no bairro Sarandi, zona norte da capital, a instituição abriga muitos alunos que vivem na pele a ligação que une passado e presente de comunidades desfavorecidas historicamente. “É importante aprender a história, porque a gente vive um sistema de exploração do capital que tem uma estrutura político-econômica que coloca o continente africano em situação de desvantagem. Boa parte dos nossos alunos de escola pública tem condição política e socioeconômica semelhante a dessas pessoas.”

Fiscalização

Os indícios de resistência na implementação da lei levaram à necessidade de fiscalização da prática cotidiana das escolas. Em 2012, um grupo de educadores e agentes da Procuradoria do estado constituiu o Grupo de Trabalho (GT) 26-A.

A primeira ação do grupo foi enviar um questionário aos órgãos municipais de educação para aferir o cumprimento da regra. Segundo o procurador do estado Jorge Terra, integrante do GT, a ação é importante para demarcar a obrigatoriedade do ensino das questões históricas e culturais africanas e indígenas. “O fato é que algumas pessoas da educação já tratavam com a legislação e sabíamos que havia iniciativas pontuais. O que é confundido com cumprir a lei. É bom que se diga que ela não é direcionada ao professor, mas aos gestores da Educação, porque tem que estar no currículo, no plano político-pedagógico, e aí, sim, chegar ao plano de aula do professor. Então envolve secretários de educação, prefeitos e coordenadores. Nós não capacitamos professores para trabalhar estas temáticas, mas auditores”, destaca.

O procurador lembra um caso que considera emblemático para ilustrar a falta de compreensão do tema por alguns gestores de escolas. “Um município nos respondeu que estava cumprindo a determinação porque trabalhava com a obra Menina bonita do laço de fita, um livro infantil em que um coelho quer ser preto porque se apaixonou por uma menina negra”, relembra atônito. 

A não inclusão de temáticas étnico-raciais é descumprimento da lei e pode inclusive impedir o funcionamento das instituições, como lembra Patrícia. Para avaliar o cumprimento da norma, foi feito um levantamento dos documentos legais das escolas de Porto Alegre. “Se a escola não tiver nos seus documentos legais essas previsões, não renova a autorização de abertura, o que é necessário a cada 5 ou 8 anos, dependendo da modalidade da instituição.” Isso para garantir que se concretize o que está previsto na Constituição, a formação do cidadão a partir da educação básica. “Este é o nível de responsabilidade que temos. O produto da escola e do trabalho do educador tem que ser um cidadão. Que cidadão está saindo da escola?”, questiona-se.

fonte: Jornal da Universidade – UFRGS – Emerson Trindade Acosta 20 de maio de 2019

Can truth and reconciliation commissions heal divided nations?

Bonny IbhawohProfessor of History and Global Human Rights, , McMaster University – 2019

As long as unresolved historic injustices continue to fester in the world, there will be a demand for truth commissions.

Unfortunately, there is no end to the need.

The goal of a truth commission — in some forms also called a truth and reconciliation commission, as it is in Canada — is to hold public hearings to establish the scale and impact of a past injustice, typically involving wide-scale human rights abuses, and make it part of the permanent, unassailable public record. Truth commissions also officially recognize victims and perpetrators in an effort to move beyond the painful past.

Over the past three decades, more than 40 countries have, like Canada,established truth commissions, including Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and South Korea. The hope has been that restorative justice would provide greater healing than the retributive justice modelled most memorably by the Nuremberg Trials after the Second World War.

There has been a range in the effectiveness of commissions designed to resolve injustices in African and Latin American countries, typically held as those countries made transitions from civil war, colonialism or authoritarian rule.

Most recently, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressed historic injustices perpetrated against Canada’s Indigenous peoples through forced assimilation and other abuses.

Its effectiveness is still being measured, with a list of 94 calls to action waiting to be fully implemented. But Canada’s experience appears to have been at least productive enough to inspire Australia and New Zealand to come to terms with their own treatment of Indigenous peoples by exploring similar processes.

Although both countries have a long history to trying to reconcile with native peoples, recent discussions have leaned toward a Canadian-style TRC model.

South Africa set the standard

There had been other truth commissions in the 1980s and early 1990s, including Chilé’s post-Pinochet reckoning.

But the most recognizable standard became South Africa’s, when President Nelson Mandela mandated a painful and necessary Truth and Reconciliation Commission to resolve the scornful legacy of apartheid, the racist and repressive policy that had driven the African National Congress, including Mandela, to fight for reform. Their efforts resulted in widespread violence and Mandela’s own 27-year imprisonment.

Through South Africa’s publicly televised TRC proceedings, white perpetrators were required to come face-to-face with the Black families they had victimized physically, socially and economically.

There were critics, to be sure, on both sides. Some called it the “Kleenex Commission” for the emotional hearings they saw as going easy on some perpetrators who were granted amnesty after demonstrating public contrition.

Others felt it fell short of its promise — benefiting the new government by legitimizing Mandela’s ANC and letting perpetrators off the hook by allowing so many go without punishment, and failing victims who never saw adequate compensation or true justice.

These criticisms were valid, yet the process did succeed in its most fundamental responsibility — it pulled the country safely into a modern, democratic era.

Saving humanity from ‘hell’

Dag Hammarskjöld, the secretary general of the United Nations through most of the 1950s who faced criticism about the limitations of the UN, once said the UN was “not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.”

Similarly, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was not designed to take South Africa to some idyllic utopia. After a century of colonialism and apartheid, that would not have been realistic. It was designed to save South Africa, then a nuclear power, from an implosion — one that many feared would trigger a wider international war.

To the extent that the commission saved South Africa from hell, I think it was successful. Is it a low benchmark? Perhaps, but it did its work.

Since then, other truth commissions, whether they have included reconciliation or reparation mandates, have generated varying results.

Some have been used cynically as tools for governments to legitimize themselves by pretending they have dealt with painful history when they have only kicked the can down the road.

In Liberia, where I worked with a team of researchers last summer, the records of that country’s truth and reconciliation commission are not even readily available to the public. That secrecy robs Liberia of what should be the most essential benefit of confronting past injustices: permanent, public memorialization that inoculates the future against the mistakes of the past.

U.S. needs truth commission

On balance, the truth commission stands as an important tool that can and should be used around the world.

It’s painfully apparent that the United States needs a national truth commission of some kind to address hundreds of years of injustice suffered by Black Americans. There, centuries of enslavement, state-sponsored racism, denial of civil rights and ongoing economic and social disparity have yet to be addressed.

Like many, I don’t hold out hope that a U.S. commission will be established any time soon – especially not under the current administration. But I do think one is inevitable at some point, better sooner than later.

Wherever there is an ugly, unresolved injustice pulling at the fabric of a society, there is an opportunity to haul it out in public and deal with it through a truth commission.

Still, there is not yet any central body or facility that researchers, political leaders or other advocates can turn to for guidance, information and evidence. Such an entity would help them understand and compare how past commissions have worked — or failed to work — and create better outcomes for future commissions.

As the movement to expose, understand and resolve historical injustices grows, it would seem that Canada, a stable democracy with its own sorrowed history and its interest in global human rights, would make an excellent place to establish such a centre.

fonte: site do Forum Econômico Mundial – 21/2/2019

Cambridge university to study how it profited from colonial slavery

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The University of Cambridge is to launch a two-year academic study to uncover how the institution contributed to and profited from slavery and other forms of coerced labour during the colonial era.

Two full-time post-doctoral researchers based in the university’s Centre of African Studies will conduct the inquiry to uncover the university’s historical links with the slave trade.

Their brief is to find out how the university gained from slavery, through specific financial bequests and gifts. They will also investigate the extent to which scholarship at Cambridge might have reinforced, validated or perhaps challenged race-based thinking at the time.

Vice-chancellor Stephen Toope has appointed an eight-member advisory panel to oversee the research and ultimately recommend ways to publicly acknowledge the institution’s past links to slavery and address its modern impact.

 

Gaby Hinsliff

The way universities and museums deal with the legacy of slave-owning benefactors has become a key area of debate within academia, highlighted in recent years by protests from students such as the “Rhodes must fall” campaign at the University of Oxford.

Last month St John’s College, Oxford, advertised a new academic post looking for a researcher to examine the university’s contribution to creating and maintaining Britain’s colonial empire. Last year Oxford’s All Souls College added a memorial plaque commemorating the slaves who worked on plantations in Barbados. The funds from the plantation were left to the college by a former fellow and were used to build the college’s library.

The University of Glasgow last year announced a programme of “reparative justice” after a year-long study discovered that the university benefited from the equivalent of tens of millions of pounds donated from the profits of slavery. It pledged to create a centre for the study of slavery and include a memorial in the name of the enslaved.Advertisement

Announcing the inquiry at Cambridge, Toope said: “There is growing public and academic interest in the links between the older British universities and the slave trade, and it is only right that Cambridge should look into its own exposure to the profits of coerced labour during the colonial period.

“We cannot change the past, but nor should we seek to hide from it. I hope this process will help the university understand and acknowledge its role during that dark phase of human history.”

The inquiry, announced on Tuesday, follows a round table debate in the university’s Centre of African Studies in February on the subject, Slavery and its Legacies at Cambridge.

The resulting advisory panel, which includes the president of the university’s African Caribbean Society, Toni Fola-Alade, and reader in world history Dr Sujit Sivasundaram, will be chaired by Prof Martin Millett, the Laurence professor of classical archaeology.

“This will be an evidence-led and thorough piece of research into the University of Cambridge’s historical relationship with the slave trade and other forms of coerced labour,” said Millett.

“We cannot know at this stage what exactly it will find but it is reasonable to assume that, like many large British institutions during the colonial era, the university will have benefited directly or indirectly from, and contributed to, the practices of the time.

“The benefits may have been financial or through other gifts. But the panel is just as interested in the way scholars at the university helped shape public and political opinion, supporting, reinforcing and sometimes contesting racial attitudes which are repugnant in the 21st century.”

The advisory group will deliver its report to the vice-chancellor in 2021. The current research will focus on the central university rather than individual colleges.Topics

fonte:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/30/cambridge-university-study-how-it-profited-colonial-slavery