6. To ask the First Minister what analysis the Scottish Government has undertaken of the underrepresentation of BAME people in teaching, and how it plans to address this. (S5F-04202)

In 2018, we acknowledged—as we should have—the underrepresentation of BAME people in teaching at all levels.

The report “Teaching in a diverse scotland” by Professor Rowena Arshad, who is the former head of Moray House school of education and currently the co-director of the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland, was published in November 2018. It contained 17 recommendations. On publication of that report, the Deputy First Minister announced that, by implementing the recommendations, he aimed to double the number of BAME teachers in Scottish schools by 2030. The associated working group, which is chaired by Professor Arshad and comprises a range of CERES stakeholders, is currently working with partners to implement those recommendations.

Everyone needs role models in life—in politics, media, business and education—so it is disappointing that only 1.6 per cent of teachers in Scotland are from a black or minority ethnic group, despite their percentage of the population being more than double that.

In a recent survey, nearly half of BAME teachers surveyed believed that their ethnicity had been a barrier to promotion. BAME people account for only 0.6 per cent of teachers who are in promoted positions.

It is vital that we identify the structural barriers that exist behind those statistics. However, we must also empower teachers of all backgrounds, so that they have the confidence and tools to tackle inappropriate language and behaviour in the classroom. In the light of everything that is going on right now, that is an area in which we can and must do better. What better way to start than by committing, today, to ensuring that our schools and businesses, and even our Parliament, look and feel more like the world outside them?

The First Minister:

I whole-heartedly agree with those sentiments. I will focus on teachers and then, perhaps, very briefly address the issue more generally.

BAME people are woefully underrepresented among our school teachers and in education generally. To give a little bit of context, the number in Scotland’s schools has increased by just over 5 per cent in 2019, compared with 2018, and by 26.4 per cent since 2015. However, there is still much more to do. The underrepresentation is still unacceptable, and we know from work that has been carried out with BAME teachers that one of the key issues is a lack of diversity of role models and senior leaders in the teaching profession, which is why the recommendations that we are taking forward with the working group that is chaired by Professor Arshad are so important.

There is also a more general issue, and now is an opportunity for all of us to both recognise that and dedicate ourselves to doing more to tackle it—and tackle it more fundamentally—whether that is in our schools, in businesses or in this Parliament, which must look more like, and be more representative of, modern Scotland. As far as this Parliament is concerned, all parties have a responsibility. We are now less than a year away from an election for this Parliament, so it is a matter for all of us. I can speak only as the leader of the Scottish National Party, but I am determined to see progress on this, and I hope that the leaders of the other parties make the same commitment.