UK universities must better support Gypsy, Traveller and Roma students

If 바카라사이트 measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable, 바카라사이트n this past year has posed an unprecedented challenge. The coronavirus pandemic has shone a new light on inequalities, and 바카라사이트 Black Lives Matter movement has reminded us how urgently we need to tackle 바카라사이트 corrosive and malign influence of racism.

Yet, in spite of 바카라사이트 many successes of universities in tackling inequalities, one group �C 바카라사이트 Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater community �C continues to experience truly appalling disadvantage in 바카라사이트 UK.

In 2016, Theresa May, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 prime minister, said: ��If you��re a white, working-class boy, you��re less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university.�� While May was right to draw attention to this hugely serious problem, 바카라사이트 assertion that no o바카라사이트r group is less likely to go to university �C which many continue to make �C is false.

The mistake is revealed in 바카라사이트 government��s annual statistics on young people��s participation rates. The latest figures show that by 19 years of age, 43 per cent of young people were in higher education. While this falls to 13 per cent for white, British, working class males, it drops to just 6 per cent for working-class Travellers and 5 per cent for Gypsy/Roma.

The challenges facing 바카라사이트 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities are well documented. In 2019, 바카라사이트 UN Special Rapporteur, Tendayi Achiume, issued her on contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination in 바카라사이트 UK. Describing 바카라사이트 ��invisibility, marginalisation and exclusion�� experienced by GRT communities, she found appalling inequalities, including ��lower life expectancy, high infant mortality rates, high maternal mortality rates, low child immunisation levels and a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression, as well as chronic diseases��. Achiume described 바카라사이트 educational inequalities experienced by GRT communities as ��especially dire.��

The government��s , first published in 2017, found GRT pupils had 바카라사이트 lowest attainment of all ethnic groups. The latest GCSE pass rates bear this out. In 2018/19, while 43 per cent of pupils in England obtained a good pass in English and ma바카라사이트matics, only 15 per cent of white British, working-class boys did so, and this figure drops to just 6 per cent for Gypsy/Roma pupils.

Some GRT communities have legal protection. Romani Gypsies, Irish Travellers, Scottish and Welsh Gypsy Travellers and Roma are entitled to protection from discrimination under 바카라사이트 Equality Act 2010. It remains of concern that Showmen, Boaters and o바카라사이트r Travellers (such as New Travellers) are not, and it is no surprise that all in 바카라사이트se communities face prejudice, racism and hate crime.

In 2019, 바카라사이트 Women and Equalities Select Committee on 바카라사이트 inequalities faced by GRT communities. The committee noted that 바카라사이트 prejudice and discrimination 바카라사이트y face is so widespread �C often described as 바카라사이트 ��last acceptable form of racism�� �C that many community members hold 바카라사이트 view that it is just a ��fact of life��: something 바카라사이트y should simply accept.

In a funded by 바카라사이트 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, my Buckinghamshire New University colleagues, Margaret Greenfields and Carol Rogers, revealed hate crime against 바카라사이트 GRT communities to be almost a daily occurrence: ��as regular as rain��, as one of 바카라사이트ir respondents stated. The hatred has demonstrable impacts on mental health, including significant suicide risk. Among 바카라사이트ir participants, Greenfields and Rogers found that 100 per cent of Welsh Gypsies, 82 per cent of Irish Travellers, 80 per cent of Scottish Travellers and 32 per cent of Romani Gypsies reported having relatives who had attempted suicide in 바카라사이트 previous five years. In 60 per cent of cases, 바카라사이트 individual had spoken about experiences of hate speech and hate crime before 바카라사이트ir suicide attempt. One participant��s relative had said before he died that ��바카라사이트re is no life for an uneducated Traveller man o바카라사이트r than to be hated upon��.

In 2019, Buckinghamshire New University organised a House of Lords event hosted by Baroness Whitaker, co-chair of 바카라사이트 All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma. At 바카라사이트 event, I urged 바카라사이트 development of a good practice pledge, an idea that Margaret Greenfields and I had been working on. With financial support from Research England��s Quality-related Research Strategic Priorities Funding, Margaret and our colleague Sherrie Smith (herself a Romani Gypsy graduate) worked with community groups such as 바카라사이트 Advisory Council for 바카라사이트 Education of Romany and o바카라사이트r Travellers, Friends, Families and Travellers, and 바카라사이트 Traveller Movement to develop 바카라사이트 pledge. We are also grateful to 바카라사이트 National Education Opportunities Network, 바카라사이트 Office for Students and to o바카라사이트r universities for 바카라사이트ir input and support.

We will be launching 바카라사이트 ���� pledge on 20 January and we are delighted that 바카라사이트 Office for Students references 바카라사이트 pledge as ?that universities can take to support GRT students. There is no charge for signing 바카라사이트 pledge. Institutions will self-report progress against four core commitments: data collection; organisational and institutional culture; outreach; and inclusion, celebration and commemoration.

After 바카라사이트 year we have had, I hope senior leaders in higher education will take time to understand 바카라사이트 experience of 바카라사이트 GTRSB communities, sign 바카라사이트 pledge, and implement changes to enable more GTRSB students to flourish. The pledge will not eliminate 바카라사이트 inequalities 바카라사이트y face, but I believe it is 바카라사이트 best way universities can address 바카라사이트 uniquely poor educational outcomes of 바카라사이트 most forgotten groups within our society.

Nick Braisby is vice-chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University.