Policy & ReformTop Stories
Black student calls out Oxford for lack of diversity

Malala's bestie is everything you would think she would be. Oxford University student. Activist. Vlogger.
Please login below to view content or subscribe now.
In Zimbabwe’s universities, most students are black. In Japanese universities, she would be faced with the same issue but with students of Asian appearance. In classes I teach most students are females , sometimes having only one or two males in the class. In my own studies, I was one of very few males. So long as the admission standards are fair for any applicant, the profile of a cohort shouldn’t matter. There will always be students with characteristics that may not be common to the larger group they study with, whether it be by gender, race, age, ability, religion, parental status, weight, attractiveness, political leanings, hair style, dominant handedness, etc., etc. True diversity is judging individuals on their own merit, not factoring in the colour tone of their skin, ethnicity or any other number of defined identity categories.
I suspect an English student would say the same about Harare. Best you go and help them with that.