Nursery at center of Humza Yousaf’s row of racism “failed to promote fairness and equality,” watchdog says
A NURSERY has been ordered to introduce “consistent and robust” systems to manage admissions applications after a complaint by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf was confirmed.
Mr Yousaf and his wife accused Little Scholars Nursery in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, of racial discrimination against his daughter when she was denied a place.
In its report on the complaint, the Inspectorate of care considered that the crèche “did not promote fairness, equality and respect when it offered placements”.
The watchdog gave the provider until Dec. 12 to ensure that “consistent and robust systems are in place to manage admission requests so that they are handled transparently and fairly.”
He added: “Communication with potential families is improved to demonstrate that applicants are treated in a courteous and respectful manner. People need to be given the right information.”
Mr Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla filed an official complaint in August after learning there was no availability for their two-year-old daughter, but said candidates with “white-sounding names Scottish “had been accepted.
Speaking at the time, Yousaf said: “I am really upset that at the age of two my daughter, although she was oblivious to everything, suffered discrimination.
“Tell us why three Muslim-sounding families were rejected and in some cases less than 24 hours later white Scottish families were accepted.
“There can be no reasonable explanation for this, and if there is, then tell us.
“But so far the nursery has failed to do so.”
A spokesperson for the Inspectorate of Care said: “We upheld a complaint about this matter.
“We found that the service did not promote fairness, equality and respect when offering internships.
“Every child in Scotland has the right to quality care which meets their needs and respects their rights”.
“We have identified areas for improvement and will follow up to verify progress.
“We continue to monitor this service. If we are not satisfied that the required improvements have been made, we will not hesitate to take further action.”
Little Scholars Day Nursery has yet to respond to the findings of the Care Inspectorate, but has previously denied any discrimination and insisted it takes in children and staff from diverse backgrounds “including two Muslim families currently”.
