London // Teachers in British schools were told yesterday to monitor pupils' behaviour and report them to police if they suspected any were being drawn into extremism. Ed Balls, the schools minister, unveiled a government "tool kit" to be sent to all teachers - including those with pupils as young as five - requiring them to debate in class the threat posed by Islamic extremists and far-right racist groups.
Originally, the guidance was directed only at Muslim children and, particularly, at the influences of al Qa'eda supporters on the young. However, teaching unions objected during the consultation process and said racist groups' efforts to recruit indigenous, white children also needed to be tackled. In a similar move last year, the government asked universities in the United Kingdom to monitor the activities of students who might be involved in terrorism - a move that caused a storm of protest from lecturers who said they were being asked to act as police spies.
Concerns about the young being targeted by Islamists grew last month when a schoolboy was sentenced to two years' detention after plans to kill non-Muslims were found in his bedroom. Hammad Munshi was just 15 when he was recruited into a worldwide jihadist plot on the internet. In yesterday's advice to schools, the government toned down the surveillance aspect and said radical views should be allowed to be expressed in classroom debates.
"This is not about asking teachers to be monitors and to be doing surveillance. That's not their job," Mr Balls said. "But if something concerns them, we want them to know who to turn to for help. "Our goal must be to empower our young people to come together to expose violent extremists and reject cruelty and violence in whatever form it takes. "Violent extremism influenced by al Qa'eda currently poses the greatest security threat, but other forms of extremism and hate- or race-based prejudice are also affecting our communities and causing alienation and disaffection among young people.
"The tool kit shows how education can be used to tackle all forms of extremism and build a stronger, safer society." Mr Balls said a security response to terrorism was insufficient in the current climate and that the underlying issues must be addressed. He said that schools could play a "key role" in getting young people to reject extremism. Under the guidelines, schools would have a designated teacher to whom pupils could report any concerns about grooming by extremist groups.
Although ministers reject the notion that schools are being targeted by terrorist groups, the guidance says teachers must extend their pastoral roles and, initially, report to parents any pupil found to be advocating violent extremism. For more serious concerns, the guidance sets out how teachers should report it to the authorities, including social services, community workers and, in extreme cases, the police.
Reacting to the guidelines, Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "We have a duty of care to try to prevent any young person descending into any kind of illegal activity which could ruin their lives. But teachers are not trained to deal with radicalisation. We're not spy-catchers." Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, welcomed the guidance. "Terrorist threats have to be tackled," she said.
"It's worth remembering that groups such as those from the far right can pose intimidatory threats to their communities, as serious as those from al Qa'eda." But she said teachers had to retain the confidence of their pupils. "For the objectives of government guidance to be achieved, trust has to be maintained in schools," she said. "No teacher will ignore obvious information about a specific, real threat, but it is vital that teachers are able to discuss with and listen to pupils, without feeling that they have to report every word."
Chris Keates, general secretary of NAS/UWT, the largest teachers union in the United Kingdom, said: "We are living in challenging and difficult times, which require concerted action if we are to overcome the threat of violent extremism, prejudice and bigotry. "Extremist groups are seeking to target young people in order to recruit and exploit them for their pernicious purposes. Schools can make an important contribution in helping to prevent young people becoming the victims of extremism.
"All schools need an unequivocal commitment to dealing with all forms of extremism, to providing information and training to staff, pupils and parents, to monitor systematically all incidents and trends, and to take decisive and effective action whenever problems arise." However, Anthony Glees, a professor of security studies at the University of Buckingham, said he had reservations about the guidelines. It is "ridiculous" that they apply to children as young as five, he said.
Although he said there was a real need for government action to counter radicalisation of the young, he said he was disturbed that the guidance did not stress traditional British values, apparently because the government had reached a compromise with Muslim leaders. "It is not saying that it is OK to be British," he told the BBC. "It says that your religion can define your identity and I think that that ultimately presents us with a security risk."
dsapsted@thenational.ae