Discrimination based on Race and Religion
So the teachers haven't changed. They never will change. They always have this, I don't know. Even if you have a 2% or 1% of those kinds of teachers, it impacts that class… Imagine that class of 30, they are impacted, you have three or four in each class, until her career of that teacher, she's broken how many individuals? And it just goes on. Then we say that the society is bad, this is happening, but we forget what we are doing
Interviewee
Our research focuses on racial and religious discrimination within Kuwaiti high schools. We're determined to uncover whether students believe discrimination exists in their schools, if students from various racial and religious backgrounds experience discrimination differently, and how this discrimination affects their emotional well-being and academic performance.
Additionally, we're delving into the role of teachers and school administrators in addressing discrimination. We aim to understand how broader societal values in Kuwait might contribute to discrimination within schools.
Lastly, we're exploring whether educating students about different cultures and religions could be a solution to reduce discrimination and pave the way for a more inclusive future.
We began our research focusing on key themes and believed these were the most important questions to ask our peers.
• Do you believe that discrimination exists in schools in Kuwait?
• Have you faced discrimination and has that affected your emotional wellbeing and/or academic performance?
• Are teachers and school administrators responsible in their actions or policies for addressing discrimination?
• What is the impact of the larger society's values on discrimination in schools?
• Does education about people of different cultures or religions decrease discrimination?
And as any research project goes, we were full of assumptions that would later be clarified by some very succinct realizations.
Assumptions
• Students face discrimination based on their race and religion in schools in Kuwait
• The discrimination students face based on their race and religion impacts their mental health, emotional wellbeing and academic performance
• Teachers have a role in addressing discrimination and nurturing inclusion in the classroom
• Wider societal values create discrimination in schools
Realizations
• Students believe that student-to-student discrimination is a prevalent issue in schools.
• A significant proportion of students have had personal experiences with discrimination in schools in Kuwait.
• Students and teachers show that there are negative effects of discrimination in students, such as on their mental health, well-being and academic performance.
• Students believe that teachers play an important role in discrimination, as do school administrations, principals, and society at large.
• Although students do face discrimination based on their race and religion in schools in Kuwait, other forms of discrimination exist from the perspective of teachers and their own experiences, such as discrimination based on academic capabilities and discrimination based on gender.
• Teachers have an important role to play in addressing discrimination in the classroom and talking to students about respecting and accepting differences.
• Teachers can also encourage inclusion through their actions. They can help different students fit in by providing them with equitable treatment that will help them merge with the class, such as helping them with language differences on the side, by avoiding favoritism and treating all students the same, and by always being neutral.
The data that we collected
Here is some of the data that we collected in a survey that we put forward to our fellow students. 63 high school students responded. We also did three in-depth interviews with teachers, all three of them from Indian schools in Kuwait. Of course we understand that there are some limitations to the data that we collected. So for full transparency we’ve listed those limitations here. Remember that these are just a starting point for us and you to dig into this critical issue deeper.
Data details and limitations
Limited Diversity
86% of our survey respondents are Indian students in Kuwait schools. Over 60% of them come from two schools, Fahaheel Al Watanieh Indian Private School - Delhi Public School Society and Indian Community School Kuwait. 67% are muslim.
Small Sample Size
The number of respondents in the survey is relatively small, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
Key insights from our research
All of the teachers interviewed mentioned experiencing some sort of discrimination personally in their school days
88% of respondents believe that discrimination impacts academic performance
Student-to-student discrimination is perceived as a prevalent issue in schools by students
42% of respondents report having faced discrimination first-hand
Our conclusion
Our key finding underscores the pressing need for schools to confront and tackle discrimination. The negative impact on students is undeniable, emphasizing the urgency of finding effective solutions to nurture their emotional, psychological, and academic well-being. This responsibility extends to teachers, school administrations, principals, and society at large, all playing pivotal roles in addressing discrimination.
Throughout our research journey, we've experienced significant learning moments. One team member highlighted their astonishment in defining discrimination, and another member expressed the depth of their newfound knowledge. The project was truly eye-opening, revealing how definitions and manifestations of discrimination vary across schools and among students. It shed light on the unique challenges faced by students in different educational settings, challenging preconceptions about discrimination in various school environments.