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SCHOOL curriculums must include more literature by black and minority-ethnic (BME) authors to better reflect contemporary society, a new coalition has said.
Book publisher Penguin Random House and race-equality think tank the Runnymede Trust have joined forces to research a lack of diversity on GCSE English literature curriculums.
The organisations are concerned that books, authors, characters and stories taught in classrooms do not represent the rich diversity of society.
Their analysis found that 56 of 65 novels and plays on the GCSE English literature specifications of three major exam boards were written by white authors.
Only one of the specifications features a novel or play written by a black author.
The Lit in Colour partnership comes after the global Black Lives Matter protests inspired campaigns to diversify school curriculums.
Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other, said: “This is an incredibly important, exciting and essential initiative that aims to redress an education system overwhelmingly delivered through a white filter that marginalises and excludes people of colour.”