Education
6 Things Schools Can Do To Build A Strong Anti-Colonial-System Among Kids
Let’s teach our kids about harmony in inclusivity with examples
Nobody is born a racist/classist/sexist. We all preach the fact but where are we lacking that our children grow up to become people who are either a part of the oppression/hate group or, as the privileged ones, turn a blind eye to the problems around them? Maybe, it’s time we work on our foundation and educate not only the academic way but the right way.
Today, let’s discuss some important aspects that schools across the world can adapt to uproot the visible and invisible colonial system discrimination – for students, for teachers, for staff, and for everyone around us.
1. Rebuild
The entire structure of education and treatment of all needs a resurrection. What we’re presenting to the students through books needs to be introspected. They need to consume education that leads them forward with open minds and not bagged with patriarchal learnings. And, most importantly, equality norms need to be rechecked. Is everybody receiving equal merit-rights? And, sometimes people of colour might need more to stand equally with the privileged.
2. Inclusivity
The schools need to actively recruit teachers, students, and staff of colour. There needs to be a conscious decision to have people of colour in one of the higher authority positions. We need to find better ways to teach our kids about harmony in inclusivity. They need to be led in a way where they learn the power of inclusion and do not get a sense of power based on their colour, class, and caste.
3. Discussion
Don’t shun uncomfortable confrontations. Address them rather than making them live in the pretence that everything is ok. Talk about long-lived racism, sexism, classism, social divide, and the fight that brought a change and the fight that is needed for full equality. Teachers and school staff need to guide them on how to face and learn about discrimination and the ways privileged can help the minority to grow.
4. Provide and Read Resources
There is no two way about the fact that our academics need a rebirth. The kinds of books kids read in their early stages and also further, play a big role in shaping them. The schools need to provide diverse resources for both teachers and students to develop critical consciousness.
5. Action Against Discrimination
There is a dire need for schools to take strict actions against the ones who perform and encourage any kind of discrimination in the premises.
6. Training Teachers
It’s the teachers who spend the maximum time with students in a school and their conduct influences students for sure. Hence, schools need to train their teachers and teach them ways to handle discrimination-related issues among their students.
What else can schools do to bring a change in the system? Let’s discuss.