Alka Sehgal Cuthbert is a British educator, academic, and author. She is the director of the campaign group Don't Divide Us (DDU) and a writer on educational and cultural issues. Her work primarily focuses on the philosophy of education, social epistemology, and the preservation of disciplinary knowledge within the school curriculum. [1]
Sehgal Cuthbert studied as an undergraduate at Newcastle Polytechnic before reading for an MA and subsequently a DPhil (PhD) in the Philosophy and Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge. [2] Her doctoral research explored the relationship between disciplinary knowledge and liberal education, focusing on the English literature syllabus. [3]
Sehgal Cuthbert taught English literature in inner-city London state schools for over 20 years. She has served as a member of the Ofsted Advisory Panel on English and provided evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry on Knowledge and Skills in Education. [4] As an academic, she is an advocate for a "knowledge-rich" curriculum, arguing that school subjects should be taught as distinct intellectual disciplines. [3] She has appeared on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme to discuss the teaching of "white privilege" and social justice in the classroom, where she argued for political neutrality in education. [5]
In 2021, Sehgal Cuthbert became the director of "Don't Divide Us" (DDU), an organization that promotes a "colour-blind" approach to anti-racism and critiques the implementation of Critical Race Theory in public institutions. [6] Her work with DDU includes reports on the Equality Act 2010 and its impact on institutional civility. [7] . She has been a frequent contributor to debates on free speech and "cancel culture."
Cuthbert has frequently appeared as a commentator on the BBC, including programs such as Sunday Morning Live, where she has argued for a "universalist" approach to anti-racism. [8]
In 2023, her disinvitation from an education conference over "psychological safety" concerns was covered by national media, including The Telegraph and The Evening Standard. [9] [10]
In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Sehgal Cuthbert stood as a candidate for the Brexit Party in the constituency of East Ham. [11] She also stood for the party in the European Parliament elections for the London region.
What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines, Subjects and the Pursuit of Truth (Co-editor; UCL Press, 2017). ISBN 978-1787350304.The Dangers of New Anti-Racism (Contributor; 2020).