Perth College students have voted to “decolonise the curriculum” to encourage more diverse reading lists in the classroom.
Student representatives of HISA (Highlands and Islands Students’ Association) believe that the entire UHI’s (University of the Highlands and Islands) current curriculum needs to be thoroughly reviewed to include the perspectives of minority groups.
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Students attending HISA’s annual Students’ Association Conference, HISA Con, on January 27 voted in favour of the motion across all the UHI facilities, with Perth College among them.
The event, which ran until January 29, focused on the changing world of employability, a topic that has been at the forefront of national concern over the past year, and saw interactive workshops, keynote speakers and various activities designed to help students of the UHI make the most of their student experience.
As a whole, the conference helps shape the decisions, policies and actions that both HISA and the university will work on throughout the year.
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Commenting on the passed motion, HISA vice president of higher education Jack Shehata said: “As concerns are rising across the country regarding the narrowness and one-sidedness of university programmes, decolonising the curriculum will be a crucial step for the University of the Highlands and Islands in broadening the institution’s intellectual vision to include the voices and perspectives of under-represented groups.
“We hope this now passed motion will enable HISA and the university to work together to provide an education that is more in line with 21st century values.”
A Perth College spokesperson said: “ Perth College UHI is a key partner in UHI and through the university partnership will work with HISA, our students and staff to continually review our curriculum and services to ensure it remains fully inclusive and diverse and meets the needs of all under-represented groups.”
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At the conference, UHI students also voted for HISA to work in partnership with UHI to regionally link up the further education curriculum where possible, within the ongoing curriculum review.
HISA believes this move will enable students to have equity in student experience, more good practice sharing in teaching methods and that there would be less duplication of work across the university.
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Commenting on the passed motion, HISA vice president of further education Ash Morgan said: “I am incredibly pleased to see this motion pass at HISA Con.
“The further education curriculum at the University of the Highlands and Islands is currently not as joined up or standardised across the partnership as HISA would like, and this often results in inconsistent experiences for further education students studying with us.
“In light of today’s vote, our aim is to work closely with the university in the upcoming and ongoing curriculum review, to enable a joined up and regulated further education curriculum that will work towards parity of experience for all our students, no matter where they are studying.”
