Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 55: It is important that any dedicated anti-racism action plan emphasizes the need for evaluation and assessment systems that consider and account for conscious and unconscious biases. Such biases on the part of students and members of review committees tend to work against the career advancement of academics and administrators of African Descent, and of other racialized groups.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Implement policy and legislative safeguards for PADs

Recommendation 56: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must collect data on the number of academics, counselors and administrators of African Descent in BC’s post-secondary education sector. This mandate can be backed by the Anti-racism data legislation.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 57: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must encourage BC’s post-secondary schools to have complaint, recruitment, award, leadership, admission, and promotion committees that have racially and gender diverse membership.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 58: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must support and encourage the training, recruitment and retention of more mental health and career counselors of African Descent for BC’s post-secondary schools.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Increase the recruitment of PADs

Recommendation 59: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must work with post-secondary schools in BC to design and implement recruitment strategies that center diversity, inclusiveness and equity. These strategies must seek to increase the number of People of African Descent and members of other racialized groups across all ranks of BC’s higher education.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 60: Considering the nature of student recruitment at the graduate school level, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must fund and promote research on the histories, cultures, conditions and realities of People of African Descent. Additionally, where the Ministry and the Province are funding research, it is important to emphasize the need for genuine diversity in research teams.

Deepening PAD representation in post-secondary education

Support PAD professional development

Recommendation 61: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must encourage and fund dedicated scholarship programs for students of African Descent at the post-secondary level.

Improving post-secondary curriculum, training and socialization

Improve cultural sensitivity programs and anti-Black racism training

Recommendation 62: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must fund and support anti-Black racism education and training programmes in post-secondary schools for all students, educators and non-teaching staff across BC. For example, UBC and UVic have put in place relevant anti-racism training programmes that can be adapted and scaled across the province. The cost of such a program can be reduced by utilizing virtual and asynchronous learning technologies.

Improving post-secondary curriculum, training and socialization

Deepen equity in service delivery by and to PADs

Recommendation 63: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must commission a study to understand the challenges and inherent disadvantages experienced by People of African Descent with education credentials as they seek recognition and transition into the workforce.

Improving post-secondary curriculum, training and socialization

Reform and promote accurate representation of PADs

Recommendation 64: The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training must fund and promote the teaching of Black Canadian studies in BC’s post-secondary schools.