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Not
in the name of mothers, teachers and other carers NO SCHOOL APARTHEID
25
October 2002
Dear
Sisters and Friends, Our
Briefing and Lobby of the House of Lords was extraordinary and
fantastically effective – it helped to win the vote in the Lords the
next day. As the Bill
comes back to the House of Commons on 4 November, we are having a
Briefing of the Commons on Wednesday 30 October, 6.30-8.30pm,
Committee Room 10, so MPs can hear directly from mothers, fathers,
students, head teachers, teachers and other carers. Thank you for
everyone’s contribution. We
hope you are able to join us again. The
amendment against government proposals to deny asylum seeker children
access to mainstream schools, put forward by the Bishop of Portsmouth
(one of over 10 peers at our Briefing), was won by one vote on 9
October. During their
debate, a number of peers said how impressed they had been by the
variety and commitment of the people at our Briefing, and quoted from
it. Another amendment was
passed: asylum seekers should only be placed in accommodation centres
if these are appropriate to their needs. As
parents and teachers who have come together to defend the right of all
children and their families to be together and to have access to a
compassionate, non-discriminatory and multiracial education, we are
determined to see this victory through.
If
the Commons overturns any of the Lords' amendments (for example, on
the schooling of children) then the Bill returns to the Lords for
their final agreement. Lord
Russell said that Simon Hughes MP (Lib Dem) had been ready to drop
their opposition to segregation if “assurances” were provided as
to the quality of education in the centres and the length of time
children would spend there. Assurances
were not provided and the Lib Dems voted against the government.
It is clear from Earl Russell (quoted below Hansard, 9 Oct)
that what the government has in mind cannot be described as
“education”: We
have been told by the Home Office that education provided in
accommodation centres will equal the quality and nature of that in
schools. I regard that as an improbable claim. Already the Government
have . . . admitted that child protection and anti-bullying policies
will not have statutory force. . . . how do the Government intend to assess the special educational
needs of children [with disabilities] in accommodation centres when
the LEAs have no duty to make an assessment? . . . Some
of [the teaching] would be carried out by assistants and some by
parents. There was to be no responsibility for the LEA, which may have
monitored common standards. The job was to be given to contractors
who, it is clear, would be under instructions to save money. So there
is no mechanism by which common standards can be obtained. We
have now heard of “concessions” on child detention and segregated
education being exchanged for “concessions” on asylum seekers’
right of appeal. But our
children learning anti-racism and compassion can’t be traded off:
the right of appeal is a basic human and legal right, and so is
integrated education. Even
the Foreign Office has said that “School segregation is a
particularly severe form of racial discrimination”.
We must do what we can to prevent unprincipled deals. Separate
can never be equal. Opposition
to the Bill is widespread and continues to grow. We have just heard that a headteacher in London was contacted
by the Home Office asking him not to admit asylum seeking children to
his school. He refused to
comply. He has also
refused to take children's names off the school rolls until he knows
why they've "disappeared" – whether through rehousing or
deportation. The spectre
of disappeared children is ominous as well as heartbreaking. We
would be interested to hear of any other examples of principled
non-co-operation with government plans to segregate children.
We hope that teaching and other school staff and unions may
consider a policy of refusal to work in accommodation centres, if
children and their carers are forced into them. If unions which have already condemned the planned
segregation policy raise the possibility of non-co-operation, the
government will have to reconsider its segregation policy. As
one of the children at the Lords' briefing said, "Basically they
are teaching us not to care about people, and I don't think that's
right." What
you can do before 4 November: In
addition to your local MP, please email the following and send us a
copy: For
the Lib Dems For
the Cross Bench (independent): For
Labour For
the Conservatives We look forward to seeing you on the 30th. Kay
Chapman Email: kay@crossroadswomen.net |
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