Why GCSE college students learning books from authors of color is ‘even more essential’ in 2026 | EUROtoday

It will take twenty years for just one in 10 English Literature GCSE college students to come across a textual content by an creator of color, a brand new report has revealed.

Without vital intervention, the Lit in Colour initiative warns it is going to be 2115 earlier than 38 per cent of pupils – mirroring the present proportion of black, Asian, and minority ethnic college students in UK faculties – research a author of color at GCSE stage.

Booker Prize-winning creator Bernardine Evaristo, identified for Girl, Woman, Otheremphasised the vital significance of this marketing campaign.

She acknowledged that growing the variety of studied writers of color is “even more essential” immediately, “when the concept of diversity is under renewed attack”.

“The argument for a more diverse reading list is not an argument against the tradition, a common assumption and attack point from naysayers, but rather, it is an argument for both: books that reflect our multi-racial society and those that are rooted in its literary history,” she added.

The authorities should present lecturers with extra assist to introduce new texts into the classroom that present all GCSE college students with a extra numerous alternative, Lit in Colour mentioned.

The initiative was launched by Penguin Books in 2020, when solely 0.76 per cent of scholars in England have been learning an creator of color at GCSE.

Since the launch of the marketing campaign, this has risen to 1.9 per cent, however Lit in Colour mentioned in its five-year report the tempo of change “must be much faster”.

At the present price of progress made, 10 per cent of scholars could be answering not less than one query on their GCSE a few textual content by an creator of color by 2046, Lit in Colour mentioned.

Penguin Books chief govt Tom Weldon mentioned: “Through research, resources and partnerships with schools and exam boards, we’ve identified and begun to dismantle the barriers that have kept authors of colour out of the English curriculum, but the latest findings make it clear that now is not the time for complacency but rather urgency.

“As the National Year of Reading gathers momentum, there is a real opportunity for government, educators and the publishing community to work together on reform that ensures literature reflects all voices and perspectives.”

There must be funding so lecturers and faculties have equitable sources for educating texts by authors of color as they do for essentially the most generally taught texts, Lit in Colour mentioned.

It added lecturers also needs to have assist to have interaction with themes of race, racism and empire the place these seem in novels.

In its response to a overview of the curriculum final yr, the federal government mentioned the brand new curriculum ought to “reflect our modern society and diverse communities”, and can permit lecturers to attract on a spread of content material to finest go well with the wants of their pupils.

About English Literature particularly, the federal government mentioned it needs faculties to have the flexibleness to decide on a spread of texts and authors “including those of local significance”.

Tes reported final yr that in June 2024, the vast majority of GCSE English Literature college students on the three largest examination boards answered questions on An Inspector Calls.

As of 2025, there are eight texts by authors of color on examination board set textual content lists, Lit in Colour mentioned, up from 12 per cent in 2019.

Despite the addition of latest texts, examination board AQA warned in its curriculum overview submission most lecturers have been nonetheless selecting to ship An Inspector Calls, which it mentioned could also be due to familiarity, lack of copies of the textual content, or the time wanted for coaching and buying sources on new texts.