Our concern with the threat of Islamist-inspired terrorism has become all-pervasive. As events over the last few weeks have horrifically shown, what was once perceived to be a largely external threat is now one that often lurks in our midst.
Terms like "homegrown" or "lone wolf" terrorist, have taken on a frightening resonance in our everyday lives. It’s hardly surprising then that efforts to prevent radicalisation and monitor individuals showing such signs are being stepped up.
Schools are now increasingly seen as being on the frontline of the battle to prevent extremism.
The duty of schools in England and Wales was enshrined in law in Section 26 of the 2015 Counter Terrorism and Security Act, which came into force last summer.
Now the introduction of Prevent, a new government-ordered scheme is set to require teachers in Scotland to report extremist behaviour or radicalised beliefs to the authorities.
But already there has been considerable unease in many quarters over its proposed implementation.
If teachers themselves are best placed to evaluate the worth of such a scheme and its potential pitfalls and dangers, then the signs are not good.
With training scheduled to begin, early feedback from teachers suggests that the programme is “heavy handed and disproportionate”.
While Education Scotland insists the resources provided to support Prevent are designed to make pupils “more open minded and empathetic towards each other,” many teachers are not convinced.
They point, for example, to the potential for an increase in racist incidents in schools that is rooted in Islamophobia. If this is a battle for winning the hearts and minds of their pupils, such a scheme could well have the opposite effect.
Teachers say there is a real danger of fostering an atmosphere of mistrust, suspicion and a sense that what they are doing is nothing more than spying on pupils.
Far from creating a climate of open, frank discussion on many issues there is the possibility young people will not feel free to express themselves and resort to self-censorship.
In England and Wales, where the training scheme has already been implemented, the results have already given cause for concern among teaching staff there.
Many insist that even the definition of "radicalisation", which all school staff now have a duty to understand and spot, is unclear. In making their case they point to the fact research has shown many terrorists are not radicals and most radicals are not terrorists. They complain too that as teachers they simply do not have the knowledge to deal with the issue of Islamist extremism.
In light of this, the president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association is now calling for programme bosses to evaluate its success in England and Wales before it moves north of the border.
Others too have expressed their unease including the country's biggest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, and human rights group Scotland Against Criminalising Communities which has called for Prevent training to be cancelled.
Clearly there is a need for greater community awareness when it comes to preventing radicalisation and extremism of any kind. The disquiet, however, expressed by Scotland’s teachers over the Prevent scheme would suggest the classroom is not the place to start.
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