Alka Sehgal Cuthbert

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]

Education

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]

Career

Education and research

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]

Advocacy

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][9]


In 2023, her disinvitation from an education conference over "psychological safety" concerns was covered by national media, including The Telegraph and The Evening Standard.[10][11]

Politics

In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Sehgal Cuthbert stood as a candidate for the Brexit Party in the constituency of East Ham.[12] She also stood for the party in the European Parliament elections for the London region.

Published works

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).

References

  1. ^ "Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert". Battle of Ideas. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  2. ^ "About Alka Sehgal Cuthbert". alkasehgalcuthbert.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  3. ^ a b Sehgal Cuthbert, Alka; Standish, Alex (2017). What Should Schools Teach?: Disciplines, subjects and the pursuit of truth. UCL Press. ISBN 978-1-78735-030-4.
  4. ^ "Alka Sehgal Cuthbert". MCC Brussels. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  5. ^ Teaching White Privilege in schools. Sunday. BBC Radio 4. 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  6. ^ "Contested racial views taught as fact, says pressure group". The Times. 2023-07-11.
  7. ^ "Equality Act 2010: Impact on British Society". Hansard. UK Parliament. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Sunday Morning Live: Series 14, Episode 12". BBC One. BBC. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Sunday Morning Live: Series 16, Episode 22". BBC One. BBC. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  10. ^ Turner, Camilla (2023-09-22). "Academic who criticised teaching 'white privilege' in schools no-platformed from conference". The Telegraph.
  11. ^ Sehgal Cuthbert, Alka (2023-10-10). "Freedom of speech: Feeling safe is a priority for therapy, not debate". The Evening Standard.
  12. ^ "East Ham parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
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