Commenting on Scottish Executive figures which show a 5% increase in the number of non-white ethnic minority pupils in Scotland's schools over the last year, Ali Jarvis, interim director of the Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland said:

These figures are a clear indicator of just why Scotland's leaders need to take tackling racial inequalities and promoting integration more seriously.

Our schools play a major role in shaping our future - if we want to ensure that it is one which is prosperous and harmonious, we need to put in place the conditions that enable all of our young people to make the most of their potential, regardless of their ethnicity.

However, we know that at the moment our schools, colleges and universities are not doing enough to ensure that our young people are at ease with diversity and that every student is able to fully contribute to Scotland's future economic and social life.

Racism in schools appears to be rife, teachers say they need to be better equipped to educate pupils about anti-racist behaviour and a range of barriers, from the types of career advice pupils receive to inequalities in the labour market, mean that ethnic minority pupils will not be able to make the most of their skills when they come to seek employment.

She added:

Given this context, the Scottish Executive's delay in publishing a race equality strategy, which should provide an overarching framework for bringing about substantive change across departments, must not last.

We recognise that the run up to the elections is not the best time to publish such a strategy but we would expect bringing about race equality and integration to be one of the next Scottish Executive's immediate priorities. Unless we see greater leadership on these issues, it is our future that will suffer.

For further information or to request an interview, please contact Harriet Hall on 07979 594 128 or email hhall@cre.gov.uk

Notes to editors

• Pupils in Scotland 2006 has been published today (27th February) by the Scottish Executive and is available on their website:
• More from this research (Scottish Executive)
• The figures show that the number of ethnic minority pupils in Scotland's local authority schools has risen from 26, 145 to 27,543 - an increase of 5.35%. These figures do not include the number of white pupils from outside the UK, which would include the children of Eastern European migrants and which has also risen from 8,917 to 10,349 - an increase of 16%.
• Figures for the number of ethnic minority pupils in Scotland's schools between 2002 and 2005 are also available from the Scottish Executive:
• Publications: Ethnic minority pupils in Scotland's schools,2002-5 (Scottish Executive)
• The CRE was set up under the Race Relations Act (1976). Our main duties are to: work towards the elimination of racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity; encourage good race relations and monitor the workings of the Race Relations Act.