Every Child Matters: the challenge of gender, religion and multiculturalism

Abstract

Pragna Patel 262 practice came under intense scrutiny, leading many to question its viability in the maintenance of good race relations-in the wake of the London bombings and earlier civil unrest in the northern cities of England.[3] At the outset, it needs to be stated that the problem is not the concept of multiculturalism per se, since its promotion of tolerance is still viable in the struggle against racism. But the need to examine the form and practice of multiculturalism in education today comes out of a long-standing concern based on grassroots experiences [4] of flaws in the multicultural model-flaws which have undermined both the struggle for gender rights within minority communities and human rights in general. The increasing assertion of religion as the main badge of identity-a process encouraged by the state and religious and community leaders-has further implications for state-funded, progressive, anti-racist and secular education. It is also important to state that in a climate where all three schools in the study were under immense pressures to deliver a target-driven curriculum, issues of multiculturalism were often addressed on an ad hoc basis. Heads and teachers alike had no time to encourage or even contemplate discussions of multiculturalism amongst staff. Most of the time they had to rely on their common sense and commitment to achieving the best for their pupils, often in the face of a lack of resources and contradictory policies imposed by the Government. Significantly, many teachers identified the need for more support through training and networking arrangements with other teachers in the locality, specifically to share information and good practice in relation to the tensions that emerged in addressing issues of 'race', religion and gender. In the course of our study, two major underlying trends emerged: the collapse of anti-racism and multiculturalism into 'multi-faithism' and the impact of the 'over-accommodation' of religious identity on the rights of ethnic minority girls.