Decolonising the curriculum hasn’t closed the gap between Black and white students – here’s what might
Students at UK universities are less likely to get a top degree – a first or 2:1 – if they are from an ethnic minority. This is known as the race or ethnicity award gap. It is measured by comparing the proportion of white undergraduates who recieve a top degree with the proportion of students of colour who do so. In 2023, the gap stood at 12.3%. However, this gap varies for UK students from different minority ethnic communities. In 2023 there was a 19.3% difference between the number of white and Black students receiving a first or 2:1. Universities have been taking measures to address this gap. But my research shows that they have been looking at the problem in the wrong way. Current university responses to the race award gap are driven by an assumption that the issue lies in the curriculum. The presumption is that because the knowledge students need to acquire at university is based on a largely white and Eurocentric body of literature or tradition of learning, this favours students …