“UWC is a global education movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”
A loaded but commendable mission statement, one that is taught to almost every student in our school. Amidst UWC day and the celebration of these values, one is left to think: ‘How well does our school stick to this statement?’
When you look around while eating lunch at the Tent Plaza, the student diversity here is obvious. As my extended family often points out, it’s amazing that people from so many different backgrounds and cultures can coexist without nationality being an important issue. However, this glossy image is not at all what it seems from a first person perspective.
Something that stands out to me, without a doubt, is the lack of diversity amongst the teaching staff. Almost all the teachers in our school, with the exception of some Language teachers, are white. It never really stood out to me until I wondered why so many students were Asian while almost no teachers were. Our school is in the middle of Southeast Asia and almost none of our teachers are from here.
The irony of teachers’ children having free education at our very expensive school while admin staff, technicians, cleaners, and caterers (who are predominantly people of colour) don’t is extremely clear. Our school loves the idea of freedom and equality of opportunity so much, however, unfortunately it does not yet show in its policies.
This issue isn’t unique to the teachers – it affects the students too. When most of the adults outside your family in positions of authority don’t look like you, you begin to internalise that. I know I did. I began to think, ‘If all my educated teachers are white, doesn’t that mean white people are more educated?’ Additionally, this problem leads to a one-sided perspective on global issues, history, and politics, which further damages the image that children of colour hold of ourselves, our ethnicities, and our heritage.
UWC loves to be a frontrunner on global issues and prides itself on being progressive. However, in discussions about race, I notice how everyone is reluctant to classify people as something. I’ve been in classes where people have treated the word ‘black’ as a swear word. It’s not. I can’t help but think that while we enjoy being politically correct, any discussion that cuts too close to the root of the problem is too uncomfortable. People don’t like knowing that they’re privileged. They enjoy their privilege, certainly, but they don’t want to admit it and use their position to advocate effectively. We need to start being explicit about racism. No more tiptoeing around issues to avoid making people uncomfortable.
While our school is fortunately improving, casual racism is still very real and experienced by a large proportion of students. Subtle hints about countries being ‘backward’, religious practices or items being mocked, stereotypes being pushed, slurs being used casually. But of course, they don’t mean it. It’s a joke. It’s gallows humour. What is gallows humour, anyway? And if you’re making a dark joke, are you the one on the gallows? Or are you part of the crowd? Because if you’re a spectator, your joke is merely part of the execution.
I respect that UWC does see its flaws and tries to rectify them. As a student here, I believe it is also our responsibility to make sure that these changes do happen. We can’t sit idly by and complain. It’s on us, the students, to make sure that Dover does better.
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