Speakers:
Rick Hatcher - B’ham NUT cttee, Hands Off B’ham Schools, and education researcher.
Zoe Gardner – Movement Against Xenophobia
Meeting hosted by Socialist Resistance
The “Trojan Horse” affair has been politically charged and Gove has made numerous attacks to further the Tory agenda. It fits into a strategy to compete with the racism of UKIP. This has fuelled islamophobia and divides communities. Associating Muslims with the word “extremism” creates fear. In this context, the Oftsed reports cannot be fair or unbiased. Gove’s solutions must be rejected. They include forced academisation, teaching so-called “British values”, and the privatisation of the local authority. Defending education for all and public services, and standing up against racism, are starting points for a response against this attack.