British Pakistani boys in Birmingham schools : education and the role of religion

• Main Author: Iqbal, Karamat
• Published: University of Warwick 2017
• Subjects: 370.15; LC Special aspects of education
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.714973

The study sets out to investigate the educational achievement of British Pakistani boys. Its foundations comprise my own journey; beginning in Pakistan and continuing in Birmingham. Central to the study is the post-war development of the Pakistani community in Birmingham, growing from a few hundred to their current presence - 14% of the city’s population. Pakistani children are now close to becoming the largest ethnic group in Birmingham schools. The study arose out of a concern that large numbers of the community’s young people were concluding their schooling without achieving the benchmark qualification. With the backdrop of the national policy response to the education of ethnic minority children, the study relies on research undertaken in three state secondary schools in different parts of Birmingham. The backdrop to the research was provided by numerous documents gathered during my time in Birmingham. The primary research relied on a mixed-methods approach, involving a questionnaire administered to Y11 students and interviews with British-born Pakistani boys, their parents and teachers. The findings confirmed earlier research, in terms of the importance placed on education by the Pakistani community. Very early in the research it was clear that religion was considered important by the Pakistani children and their parents. This shaped the study and gave rise to a number of implications which are fundamental to the schools in Birmingham. For example, it was found that Pakistani children spend many hours in after-school religious classes. This has a clear opportunity cost, as it takes them away from doing school related work. The study concludes with a discussion of responsive education that might better meet the needs of Pakistani children so that fewer of them leave school without the benchmark qualification. It also points to the possibilities of an education which integrates the Islamic religious education and education of the world.