Reforms of post-16 qualifications in England threaten critical routes to HE and quality jobs for learners from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, warns The Black Leadership Group (BLG). BLG director Amarjit Basi says the overhaul “undermines racial equity in education” and urges the Government to think again.
Reforms of Level 3 (post-16) qualifications unveiled by the Government threaten essential pathways to higher education for learners from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
I am a director of the Black Leadership Group (BLG), which was formed to challenge systemic racism in F/HE, schools, public, voluntary and private sectors, and we have been dismayed by the plans to defund many applied general courses, such as BTEC Diplomas.
The Department for Education (DfE) will next year publish a list of new qualifications, including T-Levels, to replace the current range of applied general qualifications. The defunding would come into effect in autumn 2025 and see support withdrawn for a whole swathe of post-GCSE qualifications in England.
