New guidance launched to
help colleges play their part in helping to prevent violent extremism
DEPARTMENT FOR
INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release (20/2009) issued by
COI News Distribution Service. 18 February 2009
Further Education
colleges are at the heart of communities and have a key role to
play in isolating and challenging the minority who promote violent
extremism, Skills Secretary John Denham said today.
Mr Denham was speaking as he launched new guidance for FE
colleges to help them promote mutual respect and understanding and
encourage debate around the social challenges posed by the threat
of extremism.
The 'Learning together to be safe' toolkit contains
advice on how colleges can embody the values of openness, free
debate and tolerance, and promote them through the way they
operate - vital since a large number of young people from a
diverse range of backgrounds pass through further education.
Developed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and
Skills (DIUS) in partnership with representatives from the FE
sector, the toolkit's key aims include:
* raising awareness amongst colleges of the threat from violent
extremist groups and the risks for young people;
* providing information about what can cause violent extremism,
about preventative actions taking place locally and nationally and
about where colleges can get additional information and advice;
* helping colleges understand the positive contribution they can
make to empowering young people to create communities that are
more resilient to extremism, and protecting the wellbeing of
students or groups who may be vulnerable to being drawn into
violent extremist activity; and
* providing advice on managing risks and responding to incidents
locally, nationally or internationally that might have an impact
on the college community.
Skills Secretary John Denham said:
"Colleges are at the heart of communities, not just as
education providers, but as centres that encourage participation
and promote tolerance and understanding.
"By fostering these values colleges can help communities
develop resilience to those ideologies that promote hatred and
violence, and support vulnerable students who may be at risk.
"We hope that the toolkit will provide colleges with
additional resources and support to help tackle the threat of
violent extremism."
The FE guidance published today comes after similar guidance for
universities and the HE sector was launched in January last year.
Informed by a public consultation and developed with the
Association of Colleges (AoC), it responds to calls from
practitioners for more practical support in offering an
environment where freedom of speech and challenging debate are
possible and where threats to this, or to the safety of students
from extremist groups, are not tolerated.
To help drive the package of support on offer, a new Champion
Principals Group has been set up to advise Ministers and provide
support and leadership to the sector. The group has direct
experience of leading colleges facing challenges with regard to
community cohesion and preventing violent extremism.
Paul Head, Principal of College of North East London and Chair of
the Community Cohesion and Preventing Violent Extremism Champion
Principals Group, said:
"We all have personal experience which has highlighted that
the issues of community cohesion and violent extremism cannot and
must not be ignored, and are committed to giving our time to
support others in the sector who are facing challenges in these areas.
"Our first meetings have proved that we can quickly find a
common understanding of the importance and value of giving time
and attention to this work, and the value of sharing different
approaches and putting our collective minds to what is a
particularly challenging issue facing our sector at this time."
President of the Association of Colleges, David Collins, said:
"Colleges leaders take their role in the community very
seriously, so any support in promoting better relations and or
help tackling extremist activity is very welcome."
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The guidance was launched today (Wednesday 18 February) by
John Denham at a visit to Newham College, where he took part in a
discussion with FE practitioners and students, together with
Newham Principal Martin Tolhurst and Principal of the College of
North East London (CONEL) and head of the PREVENT champion
principals group, Paul Head.
2. The 'Learning together to be safe' toolkit is
available from: http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations/con_180209_preventing_violent_extremism.html.
3. The toolkit is for all general further education and sixth
form colleges in England. A version is also available for schools.
4. The Government judges the main terrorist threat to the UK at
this time to be from Al Qa'ida-influenced terrorism. We know
that organisations linked to Al-Qaida have actively sought to
influence and recruit people into violent extremism through
targeting learners in colleges. It is for this reason that in this
guidance, we specifically focus in some areas on this form of
violent extremism and in other areas, all forms of violent
extremism. We recognise that colleges face similarly complex
issues with regard to the activities of the extreme far right,
animal rights activists, anti-Semitism, Islamaphobia as well as
wider issues of race, faith, sexual orientation and gender intolerance.
5. The toolkit forms part of cross-Government work under the
PREVENT strategy which aims to prevent people from becoming
involved in violent extremism. It supplements guidance to local
partners published on 3 June 2008 by the Home Office, CLG, DIUS,
DCSF and DCMS. This is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk
6. Updated guidance for Higher Education institutions was issued
on 22 January 2008. For further details see: http://www.dius.gov.uk/press/22-01-08.html.