THERE is increasing concern among Catholic educationalists that the anti-racist policies of Brent Council are being misrepresented in the press.
Richard Zipfel, secretary of the Committee for Community Relations of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales told the Catholic Herald about his concern over certain reporting which, he said, "is contributing to a foreceful stereotype that may well undermine the whole attempt to create a multi-cultural and antiracist education policy".
He continued "I am also worried about such reporting which uses emotive terms like 'race spies in the classroom', which has appeared in some sections of the press."
Mr Zipfel suggested that a more informative analysis of Brent's anti-racist policies may be found in the report published by the Department of Education and Science, titled "Educational Provision in the Outer London Borough of Brent" which, although not completely absolving the borough's policies, concluded; "There are serious problems affecting education in Brent but they are not, as yet at any rate, centred on race and gender. Educationally they are more fundamental and long-standing':
Concluded Mr Zipfel; "The Church has endorsed a vigorous approach to multi-cultural and anti-racist education and we don't want to see that undermined".