- Conference
- 2023 National Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 10 February 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that the Prevent strategy, created in 2003 and made a statutory duty in 2015, is hailed as a tool to tackle radicalisation and extremism at an early point. Staff in colleges question how the duty is interpreted and applied in colleges due to serious concerns and weaknesses in its implementation.
One concern with the Prevent strategy is the directive to teach fundamental British values (FBVs) and what constitutes FBVs. Many of the issues labelled FBVs could be seen as universal and not exclusively British values or could potentially alienate learners who do not identify as British.
A further concern relates to the narrative around radicalisation and extremism with critics arguing that the duty overly focuses on Islam as the primary terrorist threat. Conference notes our concern with the appointment of William Shawcross, a high-profile political commentator with a history of making negative remarks about Islam, to lead an independent review into the Prevent duty. The results of the review were published on 8 February 2023. The report, fully accepted by the current Conservative government, calls for a renewed focus on Islamist extremism and criticises attempts by the programme to tackle right-wing extremism. Criticisms abound from respected groups including Hope not Hate and Amnesty International. We must protect our members, both those who are involved in the delivery of the duty and those who could find themselves targeted by misinformed learners who may have formed misguided views in the college environment.
Referrals to the programme in 2020/21 showed that the highest proportion of referrals to Prevent (51%) was for individuals with a mixed, unstable or unclear ideology, followed by those related to right-wing radicalisation (25%) and Islamist referrals (22%). The most recent figures again show more referrals for right-wing extremism over Islamic. Every day, members in FE have to deal with learners, young and old, who are at risk of harm and of being bullied. We must not stand for anything that promotes a viewpoint that could lead to our members being harmed by learners with biased views.
Personal and moral education is important and has been a function of colleges for many years. Safeguarding teams are a statutory requirement and are well aware of their duty to report dangerous behaviours to the appropriate authorities, including the police. In this context, Prevent is, at best, not needed and at worst, has huge negative impacts on the Muslim population.
Conference therefore calls upon the local government service group to work with the further education and 6th form colleges committee to:
1) Survey our membership in colleges on their experiences of Prevent, and develop an appropriate campaign based on members’ views;
2) Develop further materials to challenge racism in the workplace and in our communities;
3) Campaign with the TUC/STUC/WTUC and trade unions to challenge Islamophobia and surveillance of Muslim communities.
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