Migration and communities: challenges and opportunities for lifelong learning

Abstract

This commentary article focuses on the theme of migration and communities. It raises a number of important concerns inherent in the report. The report mistakenly adopts the ‘sameness’ approach, thus negating Britain’s unprecedented super‐diversity that is the result of increasing migration. It wrongly assumes that all migrants are the same and require similar modes of services and lifelong education programmes. A second issue pertains to the social cohesion and integration agenda that drives this report, especially its goal of assimilating migrants into British norms and cultures. Furthermore, the idea of a culturally neutral state and universal citizenship ignores cultural differences and diversity and perpetuates oppression and inequality. These flaws turn lifelong learning into an engineering project for manufacturing Britishness through language lessons and citizenship tests. It is time for Britain to revisit this report and develop a more inclusive framework that recognises cultural differences and diversity as positive and desirable assets.