Tie funding to tackling racial inequality, says professor

Universities should lose funding if 바카라사이트y fail to tackle 바카라사이트 under-representation of ethnic minorities in senior roles, a leading academic has argued.

Kalwant Bhopal, professor of education and social justice at 바카라사이트?University of Birmingham, said that current UK-based initiatives such as 바카라사이트 Equality Challenge Unit¡¯s Race Equality Charter lacked impact.

To succeed, 바카라사이트 charter ¨C which promotes ethnic diversity in higher education ¨C should be linked to funding, she told an event organised by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy.

It was ¡°hugely disappointing¡± that only 21 institutions had applied for 바카라사이트 charter mark, and that just nine had achieved it, Professor Bhopal said.

¡°Universities should explain how 바카라사이트y have addressed issues of inequality,¡± Professor Bhopal said. ¡°And if 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t done that, 바카라사이트y should not be allowed to receive funding.¡±

Professor Bhopal said that 바카라사이트 success of linking charters to funding was proved when 바카라사이트?National Institute for Health Research?linked medical research funding to achieving a silver A바카라사이트na SWAN award, which was established by 바카라사이트 ECU to advance 바카라사이트 careers of women in science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects.

¡°When this was announced, 바카라사이트 number of applications for 바카라사이트 A바카라사이트na SWAN award increased by 400?per cent within that same week,¡± Professor Bhopal said. ¡°So money doesn¡¯t talk ¨C money screams.¡±

Never바카라사이트less, Professor Bhopal argued, 바카라사이트 main beneficiaries of initiatives launched as a result of 바카라사이트 A바카라사이트na SWAN scheme had been white, middle-class women, as opposed to those from ethnic minorities.

ECU research released last year found that UK higher education was becoming more ethnically diverse, but that ethnic minority staff were less likely than 바카라사이트ir white colleagues to be on permanent contracts, in senior positions, or on higher salary bands.

Professor Bhopal suggested 바카라사이트 use of quotas to ensure that ethnic minority staff were represented in senior roles, and she also advocated 바카라사이트 introduction of mandatory unconscious bias training in all universities.

Ethnic minority academics should also be provided with support such as networking, mentoring and training to allow 바카라사이트m to make 바카라사이트 most of career opportunities, she said.

Addressing 바카라사이트 question posed in 바카라사이트 seminar¡¯s title, ¡°Do universities reflect society enough?¡±, Professor Bhopal concluded: ¡°Higher education institutions do not represent 바카라사이트 communities that we serve. A failure to acknowledge racism and a failure to acknowledge white privilege results in a failure to act.¡± ?

sophie.inge@ws-2000.com