University of the Highlands and Islands have agreed to a 'decolonisation' of the curriculum.

HISA, which represents all higher and further education students across the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and its 13 partners, including the Western Isles, said in a statement that it believes that UHI’s current curriculum needs to be ‘thoroughly reviewed’ to include the perspectives of minority groups and to include ‘the voices and perspective of under-represented groups and provide an education that is more in line with 21st century values’.

HISA said in its statement that it is now set to campaign for the changes at Curriculum review meetings and to ‘collaborate’ with UHI staff to achieve its goal.

HISA Vice President of Higher Education, Jack Shehata, said: “As concerns are rising across the country regarding the narrowness and one-sidedness of university programmes, decolonising the curriculum will be a crucial step for the university in broadening the intellectual vision to include the voices and perspectives of under-represented groups.

"We hope this motion will enable HISA and the university to work together to provide an education that is more in line with 21st century values.

“This vote from students calls for us to pay more attention how our education system, our schools, colleges and universities are built on colonial histories. Currently, they put whiteness at their centre and as a neutral perspective to learn about our world, and we are calling for more inclusivity. The first area to tackle with the university would be the reading lists in place across the institution.”

A spokesperson for UHI said: “The University of the Highlands and Islands partnership welcomes the comments from the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association. We all have a role to play in tackling racism and are committed to working constructively with HISA to address this important issue.”

Last June, as demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign grow across the USA and the globe, UHI said in statement: “In recent weeks, we have experienced a cultural and political climate that has increased the profile of racism in society, whether as anti-Chinese stereotypes around COVID, or online scenes of violence against black citizens.

“History has taught us”, UHI continued: “that racism is not specific to ‘now’: systemic injustices and victimisation, as well as more casual forms of discrimination, have disproportionately affected people of colour and other marginalised identities for generations. It is critical that we engage to counter these trends.

“As a key organisation covering the largest geographical area of any campus-based university or college in the UK and the largest student population in Scotland, the University of the Highlands and Islands and all of our academic partners want to state our commitment to exert our influence, and by extension the influence of all students and staff, to achieve a fairer institution for everyone.”