"It's time for the UK Government to Introduce Character Education under PSHE"
Hate crimes, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, attacks against Christians and followers of the Dharmic traditions and other religions, misogyny, homophobia, terrorism, and other crimes continue to blight society and increase by the day. Statistics show that in 2018/19, there was an increase of 10% in hate crimes- 103,379 compared with 94,121 in 2017/18 in England and Wales. We at the Virtue Ethics Foundation (VEF), along with the undersigned, believe that the only way to tackle and prevent all these issues that affect our social, cultural, economic and political life is through character education from a young age. This must be done with a specific methodology which aims to instil respect for human dignity indiscriminately, through the introduction of values such as: respect, fairness, courage, forbearance and compassion.
Although, in 2019, Ofsted included Character Education (CE) as new non-statutory guidance for schools within their inspections framework, and Relationships Education (RE) is being taught to promote inclusion in accordance with The Equality Act 2010. We believe that the inclusion of CE specifically aimed at developing human dignity and respect is essential. We believe that it should be included, and taught, under Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE). We believe it the most effective, and perhaps the only way, to tackle and prevent harmful societal issues that affect all of us every day.
We firmly believe that CE is a necessity and is the right of every child.
The Minister of State for Education, Rt Hon Nick Gibb said, “Education is also about the practical business of ensuring that young people have the resilience and moral character to overcome challenges and succeed.” A recent report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) highlights that character education is a priority for most schools, yet only a quarter have a dedicated lead for it. Together, we must change that.
We are inescapably responsible to our children and have a duty to create a peaceful and prosperous society, now and for the future.
We, therefore, call on our Government to:
- Introduce Character Education in our schools urgently under PSHE.
- Support all of society, regardless of race, religion and culture to be able to live harmonious and happy lives.
We urge all sections of civil society to use this opportunity to work together to create a better society for everyone.
Yours sincerely,
The undersigned:
– Virtue Ethics Foundation
– Network of Eritrean Women UK
– Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality
– Race Equality First
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