London: British schools are referring as many as five children a day to the government's deradicalisation programme to prevent them from becoming terrorists, a report has claimed on Tuesday.
Figures released by the UK's National Police Chiefs Council under the Freedom of Information Act showed schools referred 1,041 children in 2015 to Channel the governments deradicalisation programme under the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act.
Local authorities, such as departments including housing and social care reported a further 284 vulnerable young people. Based on a 190-day school year in the UK, the latest figures equate to more than five children per day being reported, The Times reported.
"Like safeguarding mechanisms for other risks such as child sexual exploitation, vulnerable children deserve to have the support they need. Protecting those who are vulnerable and at risk of radicalisation is a job for all of us," a UK Home Office spokesperson said.
Channel is part of the UK government's Prevent strategy, which seeks to stop British youths becoming terrorists. A person's potentially extremist beliefs are challenged through sessions that seek to show them that their way of thinking is delusional. Often it involves former extremists sharing their experiences.
Individuals are free to withdraw and parents have the right to refuse consent for Channel. In 2012, the year Prevent was extended nationally, only nine children were referred.
According to the figures obtained by the newspaper, in further education colleges there were 180 referrals, compared with five in 2012. Higher education institutions such as universities reported 76 students and the health service had 228 referrals last year.
Education unions have expressed concerns in the past against the statutory duty to report that was imposed on them. The National Union of Teachers said that a large number of referrals dismissed by Channel suggested a tendency to over-refer.
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