MERIT aims to raise awareness of the opportunities available to Black or Minority Ethnic ( BME ) students wishing to enter Initial Teacher Education ( ITE ) locally and to provide a support support mechanisms to guide BME students in the application and interview process for ITE.
MERIT is a partnership between Newcastle, Northumbria, Durham and Sunderland Universities and Gateshead SCITT, together with Gateshead Ethnic Minority Achievement Service. Sheba Joseph is the MERIT advisor and she is based at Dryden Professional Development Centre in Gateshead. MERIT is funded by each of these Initial Teacher Education providers together with Aim-Higher North-East and the TDA .
MERIT is a pilot project which aims to
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Raise awareness of the opportunities available to BME students to enter Initial Teacher Education (ITE);
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Raise awareness of the ITE courses available locally;
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Provide support mechanisms to guide BME students in the application and interview process for ITE.