Cllr Evelyn Akoto moderating the panel at Southwark #BlackHistory Month Event on 17 October 2015 Karin Woodley, Dr.Kandie Ejiofor , Ade Sawyerr, Professor David Muir
With so many issues within the black community it was always going to be difficult for me to prioritise on the topic to talk about. I was therefore happy that the black councillors in Southwark who organised their annual Black History Month event provided the panel with a list of issues – attainment, pride in civic and political engagement, culture and identity and access to public services.
-On attainment
African children in the UK are smart and they excel in the school system when they are younger and aspire to higher if more traditional professions when growing up and are highly motivated. But some find it difficult to transition into the secondary school when they become independent travellers and act out under peer pressure. Sometimes their major problems relate the issues of adolescence when they take the tentative steps to be adults and lose a bit of motivation, other times it is about the fact that the inner city schools that they attend are not good at pushing them and setting for them standards that are lower than they are capable of achieving. Some parents when their children are not doing well decide to send them to expensive private schools because they believe that it is the state school system that are failing them. Private schools are expensive and some parents end of doing several jobs so that they are able to afford the fees often at the cost of the time they are able to spend with their children.
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