The Reform UK leader Accuses Educators of ‘Indoctrinating Children’ on Racial Topics

Nigel Farage has asserted that teachers would go on strike shortly after a Reform UK election victory, charging that they are “poisoning our kids” by instructing children that African-Caribbean youth are oppressed and Caucasian students are perpetrators.

During an event for a private US Christian college, the politician expressed his viewpoint on British schools, claiming that the “Marxist left” had “now in control of our education system”.

“I’m anticipating a walkout by educators soon after securing a victory,” he remarked in response to questions.

“They are corrupting young minds. They are telling them to be ashamed of their country. They inform little Johnny, who’s eight, who is black that he is oppressed and little Oliver, who is white, who is eight that he is an oppressor. They create division, instead of fostering unity. They are feeding this harmful mindset.”

Reacting to Farage’s claims, the head of a major education union dismissed the idea that the education system was controlled by Marxists as “absurd”. Kebede noted that any strikes must relate to teachers’ terms and conditions, and questioned whether Reform would attack these right after taking office.

“Farage has built his public life on coded rhetoric and now, like Trump, he is lining up teachers and their unions for a conflict,” Kebede stated.

“This is highly reckless. Neither I nor our union – push critical race theory as he’s suggesting … Should he become prime minister he would undermine state services, particularly schooling … and the outcome would be catastrophic for students and learning.”

The party, which is leading the polls by a significant margin, has provided limited specifics on a proposed education policy and does not appear to have designated an education lead.

However, his comments indicated the party would overhaul the educational framework. He said: “We face an enormous task with education – truly monumental. Moreover, we can’t do it in six months or a year; it will take us years, years to turn this around.”

Farage expressed that gen Z was more open to analytical thought, but millennials were “absolutely hopeless”.

Paying tribute to a conservative activist, he commented: “All I want education to do to teach critical thinking – to educate individuals that there are two points of view and they should decide for themselves rather than current practices where one is virtuous and one is evil. It’s a massive job in the UK and US.”

Reform has previously clashed with a major educators’ organization, after Kebede called the party “extremist and prejudiced” and dismissed Farage as “a poundshop Donald Trump”.

Farage has accused Kebede of being “an avowed radical” … an individual intent that our children should be poisoned through education, their thinking tainted regarding national issues” and maintained that the union is trying to indoctrinate youth opposed to his party.

Almost one million people are employed in education in the UK, about half of whom are teachers and the remainder being assistants and administrative personnel. The leading teachers’ organization has about 450,000 members.

Countrywide walkouts over teacher pay and conditions in 2023 caused widespread disruption in schools and millions of days of lost learning for students.

At the US event, Farage also pledged to help spread the digital courses of the Christian college in the UK. He said such groups were “part of the fightback”, adding that: “I mean this. I’ll assist garner hundreds of thousands, if not millions of youth to your online courses. I make that commitment tonight and I’ll do that.”

The college, a religious educational establishment, provides complimentary classes. According to its online description: “Comprehensive learning is vital for well-being and to maintain the benefits of freedom. It offers these beautiful courses for free to every interested learner.”