“Black teachers play crucial role for young Black men” say BCLF
23 January 2008
Key black church leaders have called on Black men to turn to teaching as a career to provide more role models for young Black pupils.
The Black Christian Leaders Forum (BCLF) made the appeal following a meeting on Monday with the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), where they discussed the need for more Black teachers, particularly men.
BCLF member Dr Joe Aldred, Secretary for Minority Christian Affairs for Churches Together in England, said the country needs more good Black teachers to act as mentors.
He said: “In urban areas around the country, it’s clear that Black boys and young Black men are finding difficulty in negotiating their way in life.
“It’s crucial for people who have similar backgrounds to these boys to mentor and teach them at the critical points in their lives, particularly when they are young and impressionable at school.”
The BCLF is also encouraging Black Majority Churches to continue building good relationships between their members and local schools.
The Rev Katei Kirby, CEO of the African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance and a BCLF member, said: “Many churches are already active in this way, but we want them to continue to use their Sunday schools, youth clubs and other educational initiatives to get positive messages to our Black boys and young people on the whole.”
She added that she was pleased by the support the DCSF gave in the meeting to these BCLF initiatives, and added that she would welcome examples of good practice in this area to be highlighted by the Government.
The meeting was the first in a series of departmental discussions following talks between Gordon Brown, Tottenham MP David Lammy and the BCLF in October, when the Prime Minister pledged support for the group and urged them to continue helping build stronger communities. Prior to meeting Gordon Brown, BCLF held regular meetings with Government officials since its conception in 2006.
Other educational issues were discussed on Monday, including how the Black community can get involved in sponsoring academies and what support is in place for parents and families to address school or social exclusion.
Notes to editors:
The Black Christian Leaders Forum (BCLF) exists to bring together the diversity of hearts and minds of Black Christian leaders who share a common vision for social transformation.
Core group members of the BCLF are:
Bishop Rev Dr Joe Aldred – Churches Together in England
Bishop John Francis – Founder and Senior Pastor of Ruach Ministries Rev Esme Beswick - Joint Council for Anglo-Caribbean Churches
Rev Dr Joel Edwards – General Director of the Evangelical Alliance
Rev Katei Kirby – Chief Executive Officer of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance
Dr R David Muir – Public Policy Director of the Evangelical Alliance
Rev Nims Obunge – Chief Executive Officer of the Peace Alliance
Rev Dr Albert Odulele – Senior Pastor, Glory House Church
Pastor Ade Omooba – Coherent and Cohesive Voice campaigns
London Mayor Ken Livingstone and MP Diane Abbott launched the Black Teachers Network in December last year. A report commissioned by the Mayor of London in 2006 said Black teachers are under represented in the city’s schools – while the highest proportion of Black teachers can be found in the boroughs of Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark (16 – 18 percent), in the latter two boroughs almost 50 percent of the student population is Black.
The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK, and has a membership including denominations, churches, organisations and individuals. The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. According to a Tearfund survey (Churchgoing in the UK, 2007), there are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.
