Prejudice rife in education


One in 10 students have witnessed bullying based on sexual harassment on a daily basis, according to a new report, Pride and prejudice in education, which looks at the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) staff and students. 


The report found that 60% of students had witnessed sexual orientation-based bullying, with one in 10 threatened or intimidated. 


The study, produced by lecturers’ union UCU among other organisations, calls on universities and colleges to provide good quality training and support for staff, develop an inclusive curriculum, adopt a zero-tolerance approach to the harassment of LGBT+ students and take action to stop students dropping out of college as a result of discrimination. 


“While much is being done to address bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity in colleges and universities, there is no getting away from the fact that it is still a problem,” said UCU head of equality Helen Carr. 


There is greater awareness of the issue and better structures in place to deal with bullying, but this has not translated into incidents being properly dealt with or even reported, she said.


www.ucu.org.uk/media/7929/Pride-and-Prejudice-in-Education-Feb-16/pdf/ucu_prideandprejudiceineducation_feb16.pdf