Science 'excludes black people'

Young black youth do not feel inspired with scientific confidence

British black scientists, engineers and technologists are vastly under-represented in their chosen fields, says a leading commentator.

Dr Elizabeth Rasekoala of ACNST (African-Caribbean Network for Science and Technology) says government needs to "wake-up" and tackle the issue.

Action is needed to inspire home-grown talent instead of poaching scientists from countries like South Africa.

The media should also produce positive black role models on TV, she argues.

Dr Rasekoala, a chemical engineer and founder of the ACNST, was in London talking at the Science Museum's Dana Centre as part of Black History Month.

'Profound irony'

The UK government needs to form a comprehensive policy framework based on collected data to outline an action programme that looks at the "bottlenecks" at every step.

"Of all the ethnic minority groups, people from Afro-Caribbean groups are the most under-represented in science in UK," Dr Rasekoala told BBC News Online.

Using the same short-term radar, recruiting from overseas, is not dealing with the real heart and soul of the problem Dr Elizabeth Rasekoala

"In the UK, you have a huge over-reliance on importing highly skilled technical people from many developing countries, so this is making it very difficult for black people here to achieve education and skills," according to Dr Rasekoala.

A lack of positive role models and entrenched stereotypes within the education system mean that British black youths do not feel that science, technology and engineering offer a career option for them.

"The profound irony is that the UK is a First World country with a first class education system that cannot produce its own black scientists," she says.

This needs to be addressed now by the government if the UK wants to take a leading competitive role in science, engineering and technology (SET), Dr Rasekoala believes.

By 2050, half of all school age children in the UK will be non-white, according to Dr Rasekoala, and six UK cities already have half or over half non-white schoolchildren.

"That is the future and how prepared are we to deal with that?"

Essentially, she says, the UK is "asset-stripping" countries like South Africa which need to retain their experts in order to help fight serious problems like HIV and Aids.

This recruitment has implications for the diversity of society in the UK's "back yard", but also for the development of other countries and diversity there.

TV doctors

The role that the media has to play is an important one too, she adds.

In a recent survey of 200 young people in Manchester, none of them could think of a British-based TV production that showed black people in a positive science role, playing a doctor or scientist.

They could name at least four US programmes, such as ER, however.

"It is not just role models in terms of seeing people, but the insidious drip drip of positive and negative images that come from the ERs and Casualties of this world. We underestimate the impact on minds of young people," she explains.

"This is the MTV generation after all."

In education, teachers also need to take a closer look at their own prejudices and stereotypical images of young black people, says Dr Rasekoala.

"We have the data, the problem is no one seems to be doing the joined-up thinking and doing the thinking."

More clarity and bravery in long-term policy thinking is needed, she argues.

"Using the same short-term radar, recruiting from overseas, is not dealing with the real heart and soul of the problem."