CERD concluding observations 2024, paragraph 46
Plain English recommendation
Government should:
(a) Strengthen action to ensure quality education for ethnic minority children, especially Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children; children of African descent; and migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children;
(b) Take all measures to reduce attainment gaps. This includes through a plan to improve education for ethnic minority children. This plan must have measures for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller pupils; children of African descent; and for migrant, asylum-seeking, and refugee children. It must be created in close consultation with the families of affected communities.
(c) Review and monitor the use of school exclusions and provide non-punitive alternatives. It should address the disproportionate use of school exclusions on ethnic minority children.
(d) Take more action to end racial discrimination and racist bullying in schools. It should adopt measures to raise awareness of the harms of bullying. It should also implement tool for early detection, mandatory teacher training, systematic collection of disaggregated data, and it should make it a requirement to record and monitor bullying behaviour.
(e) Take action to increase the representation of teachers from ethnic minorities in the school system to reflect the communities they service.
Original UN recommendation
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Strengthen its measures to ensure the availability, accessibility and quality of education for children belonging to ethnic minorities, notably children belonging to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, children of African descent and migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children;
(b) Take all measures necessary to reduce attainment gaps, including by adopting and implementing an action plan to improve educational attainment for children belonging to minorities, with specific and tailored measures for pupils belonging to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, pupils of African descent and migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee pupils, and in close consultation with families in affected communities;
(c) Review and monitor the use of exclusions, provide for appropriate nonpunitive alternatives and effectively address their disproportionate use of exclusions for children belonging to ethnic minorities;
(d) Increase efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and racist bullying in schools and adopt adequate measures, including awareness-raising on the harmful effects of bullying, early detection mechanisms, mandatory training for teachers, systematic collection of disaggregated data and compulsory recording and monitoring of bullying behaviour;
(e) Take effective steps to increase the representation of teachers from ethnic minorities in the school system for teaching staff to reflect better the communities they serve.
Date of UN examination
24/09/2024
Original UN document
Download the original CERD concluding observations 2024 on the UN website.
Last updated on 25/04/2025