Page 17 - ELG1704 Apr Issue 446

IATEFL NEWS

Does EFL have a

diversity problem?

By: Melanie Butler British. British Asians make
Iatefl has long been a bastion of up 3 per cent of the teaching
workforce, only just over 1 per
diversity, topping the rankings in cent of teachers were black
initiatives such as the Fair List British.
(see opposite page). The five If we drill down into those
plenary speakers this year are GEORGE A. SPIVA CENTER FOR THE ARTS figures we can see some of the
a picture of how the profession problems with teacher diversity
would like to see itself: among may be cultural: teachers
them, three women, two men; identifying themselves as British
one non-native speaker, one Black Caribbean or British
natural bilingual; two white Indian made up the majority of
Britons, one black Briton and a ethnic teachers in their groups
self-described ‘Scottish Muslim while there were twice as many
Calvinist’. But how well does Irish nationals teaching as there
this reflect the profession as it is? are of Irish in the population
In terms of the UK this is overall.
very hard to ascertain. The Perhaps some cultures just
anecdotal evidence suggests value teaching more highly as
that the number of non- native a profession? So the question
speaker teachers is rising, largely giving presentations at the main themselves as black British arises for British EFL: is the
from the EU, but the number conference, starting with those but in our sample of 100 Iatefl lack of diversity simply a
recruited from ethnic minorities presenting on the first day. In presenters there were none at sign of lack of interest from
remains pitifully low, except, terms of gender, the figures all. the ethnic minorities or is it
perhaps in Further Education. In were encouraging with men just Is this just a British problem? down to discrimination in
order to get a clearer picture, we ahead of women at 51 per cent. Well it certainly doesn’t seem the recruitment process? It is
approached two major employers Non- native speakers, defined to apply in the US. Of the 16 certainly not down to education.
known to be keen to promote as those who had not acquired American Iatefl presenters we Ethnic minorities outperform
diversity, one was the British English naturally in childhood found as we trawled through white British children in schools
Council and the other a major as judged by their educational the conference programme, and are more likely to go to
chain. Both agreed to provide a details, made up eight per cent. one third were from ethnic university. In fact, per capita,
breakdown of their teachers by When it came to ethnicity, minorities and 75 per cent were black Britons are twice as likely
ethnicity, but so far neither have however, the figures were women. Is this a problem just in to get a university degree as
arrived. disappointing, just 2 per cent British EFL? In fact, the picture their white peers.
So we turned to Iatefl and, were British Asian although in England’s schools is not too It is time that British EFL did
excluding the plenary speakers, they make up 6.6 per cent of dissimilar: in 2011, 92 per cent a lot more to attract minority
collected the details for 100 the population. Three per cent of teachers were white, and all teachers. Perhaps Iatefl could
British-based professionals of the UK population identify but 5.4 per cent of those were start a special Interest group?

IATEFL presenters by ethnicity UK population by ethnicity State school teachers by ethnicity
(England)

18 April 2017

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