Never too young to be a terrorist: UK to keep tabs on nursery students

Nursery kids today could be the terrorists of tomorrow. So it’s probably best to catch them young. This might sound a little far-fetched as a theory but that’s exactly how United Kingdom’s government plans to work with a new anti-terrrorism strategy called Prevent. According to reports in The Independent and Telegraph , the Home Office has drawn up a plan under which staff at nursery school will have to report kids who they think are at risk to become terrorists. And it won’t just be limited to nurseries but also schools, universities and childcare providers. The Independent report quotes from a document which says that “Senior management and governors are expected to assess the risk of pupils being drawn into terrorism, including support for the extremist ideas that are part of terrorist ideology.” The report in Telegraph further points out that school staff “should know where and how to refer children and young people for further help.” A Home office spokesman was quoted by Telegraph as saying, “We are not expecting teachers and nursery workers to carry out unnecessary intrusion into family lives, but we do expect them to take action when they observe behaviour of concern." He added, “It is important that children are taught fundamental British values in an age-appropriate way. For children in the early years, this will be about learning right from wrong and in practitioners challenging negative attitudes and stereotypes.” [caption id=“attachment_2030435” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. AFP[/caption] The ministry insisted that this policy would not just target ‘Muslims’ but even Islamophobic statement or even anti-semitic statements. Naturally the ministry’s plans have been greeted with criticism. The idea that nursery school staff, which is the first level of interaction with a teacher for most families and kids, should be turned into potential watchmen and spies sounds quite draconian. Russell Hobby, the General secretary of Headteachers’union NAHT, told the Telegraph, “It’s really important that nurseries are able to establish a strong relationship of trust with families, as they are often the first experience the families will have of the education system. Any suspicions that they are evaluating families for ideology could be quite counterproductive." Others are also wondering how the plan will be implemented. David Davis, the Conservative MP told the paper, “Are they supposed to report some toddler who comes in praising a preacher deemed to be extreme?…It is heavy-handed.” For now the Home Office in Britain is sticking with its stand that the policy is right and not intrusive. Since details of what will constitute as ‘potential-terrorist’ behaviour are still sketchy, it remains to be seen exactly how it will be implemented.