The Scottish government is making moves to implement a positive discrimination agenda, after the Liberal Democrats highlighted that there were no Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic (BAME) employees in senior teaching positions in Scotland.
Scotland’s non-white population accounts for less than five per cent of residents, but campaigners are arguing that as the BAME population grows, more efforts should be made to make minorities Headteachers, or Deputy Headteachers. Currently, there are just 18 BAME principal teachers out of 5,403 – and none as heads or deputy heads.
The news, according to the Scotsman, is being pushed by the Scottish Liberal Democrat Education Spokesman, who said: “It is almost beyond belief that there is not one single BAME teacher occupying any top position in any school in Scotland.
Liam McArthur continued: “Despite tens of thousands of BAME pupils in primary and secondary schools up and down the country, there are no BAME head teachers or depute head teachers. There are only a small number of BAME principal teachers – some 18 out of a total of 5,580 secondary school principal teachers.
“It remains too often the case that those holding top jobs in most sectors are not reflective of the diverse nature of our society.
“By better reflecting our diversity at primary and secondary education level we can make a positive change which lasts for generations.
“This is a staggering revelation. It warrants a detailed response from Scottish ministers.”
The Liberal Democrats have just 5 Members of the Scottish Parliament, which is a devolved body separate to the British Parliament. The Liberal Democrats have just one Scottish seat in the Britain’s House of Commons.
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