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Boris: we need more black male teachers
Last updated at 12:01pm on 31.10.07
Pledge: Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has pledged to encourage more black men into primary school teaching to help tackle gang violence.
The Tory candidate for Mayor said having more male teachers would provide children with positive role models. He also wants City Hall to have more power over education policy.
Mr Johnson emerged from self-imposed "hibernation" to float ideas on crime, housing and transport, but he will not unveil his full manifesto until next year.
He told a meeting of think tank the Stockholm Network last night: "An absolute priority of my mayoralty will be to raise educational achievement among the deprived and particularly among ethnic minorities."
Mr Johnson added: "You're not to underestimate the seriousness with which I'm approaching this task."
He also called for a no-strike deal with the RMT, and said that new homes should be built to last 100 years.
Reader views (8)
I'm a black female teacher and I have yet to secure my first primary teaching post. Easier said than done.
- Michelle Fox, Oxford
So presumably the fact that more black teachers are required for primary schools suggests that black children under 11 are more likely to respond positively to a black teacher than a white teacher?
Who taught these children to be like this at such a tender age?
- Alex, London
Amazingly dumb comments on here. Its a FACT that some of these young boys do not have any positive role models due to the UK media's penchant for highlighting any negative black male - including gun toting rappers - and acting as if positive black people don't exist. Gun and knife crime is not just rife in the black community, all of our kids are being affected, but you would never know this if you keep reading The Sun. How is this going to ruin any chances for English white kids? Just being white means they have an 80% chance of being successful in this country - might hurt if they ever want a council housing though! Agree that white teachers need to learn how to be role models also, I see a bunch of them smoking in the playground every morning when I drop my little one off to school.
- Melissa, London
Yes more male teachers of all colours, peers that boys can look up to and learn from.
- H. O'Dell, Hertford, Hertfordshire
Boris -- we need a real Police force (not the Mickey Mouse Met we have at the moment) to tackle gang culture, not black male teachers!
- Philip, London, England
Does this mean that Boris Johnson favours positive discrimination?
- Mick, London, England
Yet another idiot who seems to think that it is ok to have black male teachers as role models for unruly kids, why not also encourage white male teachers as role models for white kids or is the establishment really going out of its way now to totally ruin any chances that English White kids will have in the future.
- James Urban, London, UK
Like that's ever going to happen. You've got less chance than getting them to give blood.
- Squiz, Islington
