UK Edition
Headteachers have backed calls for the English GCSE syllabus to be made more diverse by adding more books by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) authors.
Over 250,000 people signed a petition this week urging exam boards to overhaul the choice set texts, which currently include works by Shakespeare as well as 19th century writers such as Charles Dickens, George Elliot and Charlotte Bronte.
“Although these lists of literature span a wide range of content, they do very little to reflect our current society,” the petition says.
Why I am no longer talking to white people about Race by the Nigerian author Reni Eddo-Lodge and The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla should be studied as set texts, it adds.
Calls to “decolonise” the curriculum have been gaining pace at universities, where students have urged faculties to update reading lists to include more BAME writers. But the movement now appears to be gaining momentum in schools as well.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that many educators “wholeheartedly agree” with the petition’s point.
“English Literature should talk to young people about the world in which they live, they should feel its relevance, and its transformational power,” he said.
Modern texts do feature in GCSE English Literature but the course is arguably weighted in favour of works from the past, he added.
“While these are fine and beautiful works, they can lack immediate relevance to young people, to contemporary issues, to the world as it is now,” Mr Barton explained.
“There is a good case for modernising the specification to create space for a greater range of diverse voices whilst preserving a sense of literary heritage.”
GCSEs courses were reformed in 2014 as part of a raft of changes introduced by the former Education Secretary Michael Gove aimed at making them more challenging and rigorous.
Changes to the English Literature course saw a move away from American novels such as Of Mice and Men, towards more British literature.
Pupils must now study at least one play by Shakespeare, a 19th-century novel, a selection of poetry since 1789 and fiction of drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards.
Last year, Britain’s biggest exam board added a more diverse set of texts to its English GCSE syllabus, following complaints about there being too many “dead white men”.
Edexcel, which is owned by Pearson, announced that schools will be offered more poems, plays and novels to choose from including those written by authors from BAME backgrounds.
In addition to the works of William Wordsworth and Robert Bridges, the GCSE poetry anthology will include the Pakistani-born Imtiaz Dharker and Grace Nichols, who is Guyanese.
Meanwhile, the post-1914 Literature paper will feature plays by Tanika Gupta, who is of Indian heritage, and Benjamin Zephaniah whose parents are from Barbados.
Other new texts include the novel Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin, who was born in India, and Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman, the former Children’s Laureate whose parents are from Barbados.
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: “Racism affects all our lives, and it is important that education plays its part in challenging discrimination, prejudice and hatred whilst also promoting inclusion and diversity.
“The curriculum in our schools and colleges can no longer be disinterested. Because black lives matter, the curriculum must also actively encourage learners to question the status quo and contribute to advancing equality by promoting BAME voices, experiences and representation.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Schools already play a significant role in teaching children about the importance of having respect and tolerance for all cultures.
“Black history is an important topic which schools can teach to children of all ages as part of the history curriculum. Schools can utilise resources from a range of organisations and sources to support teaching Black history.”