Global Perspectives – Term 1 2023

Just before the long weekend at the end of March, the Year 12 students ran a Global Perspective programme for grades 7 to 10. The main topic was Inequality in Education, and each grade focused on a different factor causing it.

Inequality in education is defined as, “The unequal distribution of academic resources, including but not limited to teachers, books and technologies.”

As 10MR, we looked at race and inequality in education. Race can be and is often a factor in education quality, manifesting in three main ways:

Firstly, poverty. Poverty is influenced by racial segregation, especially in a country such as South Africa. Impoverished areas get little to no funding, meaning that schools are under-resourced, students receive a poorer standard of education, and a poverty cycle is maintained.

Secondly, racism in schools causes children of colour to face harsher punishments. An example from the UK is, “While only 15.5% of public school students are black, 39% of students suspended are black”. One of the main problems in schools today is that when racism is called out, the backlash falls on the reporter rather than the racism.

Thirdly is the curriculum. Many curricula are Eurocentric, and as a person of colour, having your culture treated as second in your school can create a sense of inferiority.

Something I found interesting and quite helpful was discussing what global institutions can do to reduce inequality in schools. One can raise awareness about how race affects a student’s learning environment, as well as engage in open dialogue about the topic instead of dismissing it.

The year 12 students were very helpful in how they ran our session; they allowed us to discuss amongst ourselves and added input to enrich our conversations.

Overall, Global Perspectives for Term 1 was very educational, and I enjoyed learning about a topic relevant to schools and students’ lives today.

– Jemma