What kids really learn in school

RACISM, sexism, homophobia and prejudice against the disabled is widespread in schools, says a leaked report by the Education Ministry.

The report, which covered a five-month study in French schools, finds that homophobia and racism is tending to become commonplace.

Staff do not do enough to combat prejudice among pupils and in some cases even encourage stereotyped ideas or are guilty of discrimination themselves, said the report, which was leaked to newspaper Le Monde prior to official publication this month.

It describes a breakdown in the "spirit of people living alongside one another".

It recommends putting in place discrimination evaluation indicators and continuous monitoring. Better training of everyone in schools is also needed, it says.

The president of anti-discrimination authority La Halde, Jeannette Bougrab, said that she was not surprised at the findings, which described a "situation that has been going on for years".

"I hope this report will lead to preventative measures being carried out quickly and to sanctions against these discriminations being put into place in schools," she said.

Insults and violence are becoming commonplace and there is discrimination in access to certain training courses and in advice on careers and further study.

Gypsies face "prejudices which make it difficult for them to settle down in an area", leading to schooling problems. Pupils sometimes react to discrimination by affirming religious or racial identities, rather than French, which in turn leads to more racism. The report warns against too much praising of differences as opposed to stressing everyone’s equality.

Handicaps

In 10 years, disabled people in ordinary schools have doubled, but fear of their differences is still rampant, despite the hope that greater mixing would have led to more understanding.

Some parents "fear having a disabled pupil in the class could harm their child’s academic performance" and "discrimination is still very much in evidence".

They are sometimes excluded from certain activities and teaching sessions.

Sexism

Some interviewees in schools said "girls are seen as inferior and are very often insulted".

Sometimes there are cultural or religious factors and staff fear contesting certain attitudes in case they are accused of racism.

Staff perpetuate such stereotypes as guiding girls towards language and literature and boys to science. Girls are also the main victims of violence.

Homophobia

This is becoming commonplace and schools do not do enough to combat it, in effect "legitimising" insults and violence.

Consequences range from dropping out of school to suicide, the most common cause of death among collège age people (11-14), with factors linked to sexuality the most common reason for it.