About BHS
“When properly taught, education is a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It is the clock they use to tell their historical time of day.
The proper education of a people tells
them where they have been and what they have been. It tells them what
they are and where they are. Most importantly, a proper education tells
them where they still must go and what they still must be.”
- Dr. John Henrik Clarke
The Black History Scholar Programme was established by the Mayor of London in partnership with Accenture as part of the 2005 Black History Season.
The programme offers young people between the ages of 11 and 15, an excellent opportunity to learn about African and Caribbean history through an exciting, competitive and rewarding range of activities. The programme is designed to:
(a) Encourage young people to adopt a proactive and confident approach to the study of black history;
(b) Provide schools, youth groups and community organisations with an environment within which to facilitate the teaching of black history;
(c) Introduce and develop new educational resources, strategies and tools that will support the learning process and foster high academic expectation and achievement; and
(d) Promote the academic study and research of black history as a meaningful and challenging way of widening participation and providing culturally relevant and enriched content in the national curriculum.
Why a Scholarship Programme?
The creation of Black History Scholar builds on the Mayor of London’s commitment to promoting London’s diverse history and heritage and the need for more inclusive education in order to raise the academic attainment levels of African-Caribbean boys in London’s schools.
Last July, the report of the Mayor’s Commission on African and Asian Heritage (MCAAH) found that:
‘an education system that encompasses
African, [Caribbean] and Asian history and heritage increases the
value of history for all young people. To achieve this, strategic
and imaginative interventions in the National Curriculum are required.
An education system that does not resonate with young people’s
backgrounds is a significant factor in a trend towards disillusionment…’
.
Furthermore, in the 2004 report by the London Development Agency’s Education
Commission into the educational experiences and achievements of
Black boys in London’s schools, black pupils expressed a keen
desire to be given more opportunities for learning about black history
and culture.
Black History Scholar was designed to meet some of these key findings
and recommendations.
(The educational experiences and achievements
of Black boys in London schools 2000-2003: A report by the Education
Commission’ London Development Agency, September 2004)
Last updated on 28/02/2008