Teachers warn ideologies will fester if they are not equipped with training and resources to tackle them. Teachers are reporting a rise in extremist views and conspiracy theories among pupils, which they warn will be left to fester unless schools equip them with training and resources to tackle dangerous thinking and ideologies, according to research. The government’s approach to tackling extremism is too focused on identifying and reporting pupils thought to be at risk of radicalisation, rather than teaching pupils how to reject and discuss hateful views and ideologies, the teachers who were interviewed by researchers at UCL’s Institute of Education said. They added that the teaching of extremism in UK schools was “highly variable” and sometimes “superficial” and “tokenistic”, with teachers in a “babysitter” role that involved using “pre-prepared scripts”. The current approach is rarely sufficient to tackle the rise in pupils looking at disinformation and hateful content online, they said. Kamal Hanif, an expert on preventing violent extremism in schools and a trustee of Since 9/11, which commissioned the research, said: “This is a wake-up call for us all. We must make sure that every pupil is taught how to reject extremist beliefs and ideologies. “We know that right now extremists are trying to lure young people into a world of hatred and violence, both online and in person. We must use the power of education to fight back and help young people stand up and reject extremism and violence. We need far more clarity from government about the need to have time in the curriculum for frank and open discussions about extremism.” The researchers interviewed 96 teachers in schools in England and found that, although extremist views remain rare, more than half of teachers had heard pupils express far-right views in their classroom, while around three-quarters had heard misogynistic or Islamophobic opinions, and nearly all had heard racist language. Almost 90% had heard conspiracy theories such as American tech tycoon Bill Gates “controlled people via microchips in Covid vaccines”.
via guardian: Extreme views and conspiracism rising among England’s pupils, research finds