My daughter had to move schools because of racism

The number of racism or racist harassment incidents recorded in Scotland schools increased by 50% last year, they reveal the annoying figures for the BBC Scotland News.

According to requests for freedom of information (FOI) to 32 Councils, there were more than 3,600 incidents last year, compared to 2,400 the previous year.

Activists say that the true figure will be much higher since the councils do not comply with the guidance of the Scottish government to record all incidents correctly.

The Scottish government said that one of the reasons for the increase could improve reports.

Ekta’s daughter, Anisa, was only seven years old when she began to be mocked by the color of her skin.

His mother says that Anisa shut up and retired at home and that she couldn’t understand what it was.

It was only months later that Anisa broke into tears and alerted her mother about what was happening.

Ekta says he immediately went to the director and asked a child to apologize to his daughter.

She says that the school asked her daughter to accept apologies, but in the following months harassment and racism continued.

Ekta told the BBC that he offered several times to work with the school to help with his understanding of racism, but they never touched her.

Last October, two years after the initial incident, Anisa told her mother that she could no longer go to school and moved her.

Your experience is not isolated.

The figures obtained by the BBC Scotland News show a great increase in racism incidents and racist harassment recorded in schools.

The activists said that some problems are not registered at all and that others are recorded as intimidation instead of racism.

In his response from FOI, Highland’s council admitted that not all his schools were registering racist incidents in the school recording system, appeared.

Watchdog Education Scotland’s research also previously suggested that many schools either used Seemis correctly to record intimidation incidents.

Ekta told BBC News that before the incidents, his daughter was “bubbly, safe and outgoing.”

“When racism began to question things, why did they tell me that I am different? Why does it tell me that the color of my skin means that people do not want to talk to me?” Said Ekta.

“I do not send my son to school to be abused or be a victim of racism. Shipping to school to learn and be sure.”

When Ekta approached school, she says she was tolerated, they had not had to deal with racism before and were not clear how to handle it.

Ekta said that a child was asked that he had made several racist comments to apologize, but the school did not seem to think that broader learning was necessary.

She thinks that the school did not fulfill her legal and ethical duties.

For Ekta, he brought memories of racism he faced when he grew up in Bearsden, north of Glasgow, decades ago.

“I thought that 30 years later I would have stopped or at least that the systems would be better to address some of the things,” he said.

She said she felt that school managers did not take the problem seriously and that bullying and racism continued.

Ekta says he later discovered that the school recorded the incidents as intimidation, not racism.

She raised an official complaint before the East Dunbartonshire Council, where the school is located and recovered a partial apology.

But she feels that they have not changed their approach, training or systems and have not understood the problem.

He is now pursuing his claim through the Ombudsman of Public Services of Scotland (SPSO).

Meanwhile, her daughter is in a new primary school with a new group of friends and her mother said she is happy.

The coalition of equality and racial rights (CRER) in Scotland says that the statistics of other organizations, including the police, suggest that there has been an increase in racist incidents.

But they have also found evidence that there are not many incidents in schools.

Last year he established the direction, defenders of racial equality in Scotland schools, to support parents and caregivers who have a son who goes through racism in school.

Kwaku Adje, CRER education defense officer and Adress main advisor, said hate crime reports had increased, but it was also a research team that the true figure should be much higher.

“Our previous research in 2022 indicated that 85% of schools do not report incidents that informed them,” he said.

“If we are not recording them, how do we know that the incident is the bees in some way?”

Adje said just asking a child to apologize would not help address the underlying problem.

He said: “We need to make sure they are educated and tolerate why it was wrong to show that child of behavior, the impact you can make and see from there if there is any form of reconciliation.

“Then people will learn why they are wrong and how not to exhibit those behaviors.”

Adete said that one of the reasons why incidents increased could be that racist behavior “is not being challenged.”

Another factor could be part of the toxic content on social networks, he said.

“We need to make sure they are challenges if you are listening to something,” said Adete.

“It could something like a joke. It could microagrison.”

CRER is asking for the mandatory registration of racist incidents and bullying in schools. They say there is not enough training available for teachers.

In the East End of Glasgow, the students of the primary school of San Francisco de Asís have written their own anti -racism letter and establish their equal group.

They wrote their own letter after realizing that the Council’s letter was in “friendly language for children.”

The work occurred after the main teacher Ciara Henderson decided to attend a new course to lead an anti -racist establishment at the University of Glasgow.

She said: “We had a small number of racist incidents last year and talked with Crera in Glasgow and in my learning community, I had recognized that there was an increase in racist incidents.

“We were listening to language and terminology that we had heard for a long time.

“I really thought because to address this in front. It is not acceptable. I don’t want this for the children of my school.

“The first starting point was to analyze the professional development I could do around that to be able to empower children in my school.

“Racism is a systemic, cultural and social problem that we must all get involved to instigate change and enhance change.”

The Scottish government said that improved reports could be an increasing factor, but added that “there was no place for racism” in schools.

A spokesman said: “It is deeply worrying that so many people in Scotland continue to face racial discrimination.”

He added: “Diversity and equality are in the heart of policies that support education in Scotland.

“Discrimination or preacher incidents must be addressed when they arise.

“It is important that we are attentive to challenging any racist behavior in Scotland schools.

The Scottish government will publish a new orientation for schools on the response to racist incidents, including guidance on recording and monitoring in the coming weeks.

Ann Davie, executive director of the East Dunbartonshire Council, where Anisa went to school, said that racism and intimidation are needed very seriously.

She said there was a standardized approach to ensure that educational establishments create safe and inclusive learning envies that celebrate diversity for all children and young people.

“Teachers and school staff are offered a very clear orientation and professional learning related to bullying and equalities, and there is a clear expectation that all personnel have a shared understanding of bullying, including racism and skills.” Em. ”

“We work with schools to ensure that these incidents are reported in time and action are tasks to address any identified need.”