About the Race Equality Charter

The Race Equality Charter

The Race Equality Charter (REC) aims to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. It provides a framework through which institutions work to self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of minority ethnic staff and students. Institutions working on the REC develop initiatives and solutions for action and can apply for a Bronze or Silver Race Equality Charter Mark (RECM) award, depending on their level of progress. The University of Dundee is planning to submit its application for the Bronze RECM in the July 2021 round.

REC is underpinned by five fundamental guiding principles:

1. Racial inequalities are a significant issue within higher education. Racial inequalities are not necessarily overt, isolated incidents. Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial inequalities manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes and behaviours.
2. UK higher education cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population and until individuals from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.
3. In developing solutions to racial inequalities, it is important that they are aimed at achieving long term institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where solutions are aimed at changing the individual.
4. Minority ethnic staff and students are not a homogenous group. People from different ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of and outcomes from/within higher education, and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data and developing actions.
5. All individuals have multiple identities, and the intersection of those different identities should be considered wherever possible.

By joining Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter, institutions are committing to following these principles in how they approach race equality and address their institutional culture. Once an institution has signed up to the REC by sending in their letter of commitment, they will need to submit their application within three years.

The Race Equality Charter covers:

• professional and support staff
• academic staff
• student progression and awarding
• diversity of the curriculum.

To find out more about the REC at Dundee please contact the chair of the Self-Assessment team Professor Hari Hundal (h.s.hundal@dundee.ac.uk) or the Head of EDI Ajit Trivedi (a.trivedi@dundee.ac.uk).

Learn more about the Race Equality Charter on the Advance HE website