Little multicultural education in mostly white schools

Although attention to multiculturalism is an obligatory part of education in Belgium and the Netherlands, it is mostly taught in schools with many students of foreign origin. That is the principal conclusion of a research project by Ghent University (UGent) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA), for which more than 700 teachers participated. 

“It may seem logical that there is more attention to multiculturalism in more multi-national schools, but it isn’t,” said Orhan Agirdag of the UvA. “Students with no foreign background also need sufficient knowledge about a multicultural society and racism – maybe even more than their counterparts of foreign origin.”

The research also demonstrates that teachers mostly focus on religious diversity. “They mostly explain about Islam and activities of Muslims during, for example, the Feast of the Sacrifice or the Sugar Feast,” said Mieke Van Houtte of UGent. “Other important elements of a multicultural society, like multilingualism, receive less attention.”

The researchers also ascertained that multiculturalism is only remotely present in the curriculum. “Publishers of school books have sometimes replaced typical names like Jan and Leen by Rashid and Ahmet,” says Michael Merry of the UvA, “but the lessons are still mainly Eurocentric, and the staff is, for the most part, white.”

There is a big difference, however, among cities, according to the study. Teachers in schools in Ghent and Genk, for instance, devote more attention to multiculturalism than do schools in Antwerp. According to the researchers, this situation can be linked to the political background of these cities.

The researchers suggest that mostly-white schools search for teachers and interns of foreign origin. They also feel that teacher study programmes could integrate multicultural education structurally in their curriculum.