US racial diversity documents rescinded

WASHINGTON: The US Department of Education on Tuesday announced it was withdrawing a series of Obama-era documents promoting racial diversity on campuses, according to a statement.

“The Supreme Court has determined what affirmative action policies are constitutional, and the court’s written decisions are the best guide for navigating this complex issue. Schools should continue to offer equal opportunities for all students while abiding by the law,” Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said.

The seven documents withdrawn include a Dear Colleague Letter Regarding the Use of Race by Educational Institutions issued on December 2, 2011, among others. The statement said the department has concluded that the documents “advocate policy preferences and positions beyond the requirements of the constitution”.

“Moreover, the documents prematurely decide, or appear to decide, whether particular actions violate the constitution or federal law.” The documents, all introduced under the Obama administration, provided guidelines for US schools to take into consideration applicants’ race as a factor based on the assumption that racial diversity benefited society and created a better learning experience for students.

But the policy has become the centre of debate after critics argued that selecting students based on race instead of merit is another form of discrimination.

Multiple US universities have been involved in legal disputes in which their alleged practice of favouring minority group students was called into question.

With the rescission of the documents, the government effectively encourages schools to adopt “colour blind” admission policies, which may reduce the number of minority racial group students enrolled into prestigious universities.

The reversal in policy was applauded by groups that campaigned for fair admission.

“Students for Fair Admissions welcomes policies that will end racial classifications and preferences in college admissions,” said its president Edward Blum.