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Universities 'need more black academics'
 Universities need to recruit more widely, says minister |
There are too few ethnic minority staff in universities, the Education Minister Malcolm Wicks has said.
In a speech to a conference on tackling racism in post-16 education, Mr Wicks called on universities to make greater efforts to recruit more staff and students from ethnic minorities and to ensure that there were equal opportunities for all applicants.
There should also be greater access to higher education for students from deprived backgrounds, said Mr Wicks.
 Malcolm Wicks wants clear policies on equal opportunities |
"There are too few ethnic minority staff in our universities, especially in senior academic positions. Universities and colleges must have clear policies on equal opportunities," said Mr Wicks.
The higher education funding councils in the UK will be producing the first official university performance tables next week, which will include rankings for widening participation.
These will consider such factors as the number of students from areas that have been under-represented in higher education and the proportion of students from state schools.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has offered universities �30m for schemes to encourage greater access for students from deprived areas.
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| 24 Feb 99 | Education |
| Putting anti-racism into the curriculum |
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| Schools 'failing ethnic minorities' |
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| 17 Nov 99 | Education |
| Black pupils 'need better-trained teachers' |
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