Issues of Multiculturalism in Australian Schools

Australia is renowned for being a multicultural country, with net migration per capita at  1, 124, 639  (World Bank 2011). The large volume of people migrating to Australia has had a major affect on the education system, with numerous issues arising throughout schools. The most prominent problem is the homogenous singular category migrant communities and individuals are grouped in by the media, who help spread and incite fear of threats and terrorism (Mansouri & Kamp 2007). This narrative of racism is an appropriate link between socio-political events and the socio-educational landscape of Australian schools (Mansouri & Kamp 2007). The negative outlook towards the increasing migrant population of Australia is stifling the emergence of micro-public environments.

Everyday multiculturalism is being promoted as a manner of overcoming the racism prevalent in Australian schools. Ho (2011) suggests that schools should be acting as micro-publics, in order to deal with both conflict and harmony, as a means of recognising, respecting and working with and around the other.  The more diverse the schools, the greater the experience and learning advantages available. School is no longer regarded as a learning institution alone, but as a complex social system in which students are continually interacting and dealing with cultural difference (Mansouri & Kamp 2007). Students find themselves having to accommodate the other, and find a common social space to share together (Ho 2011).  

The ‘Talking Faiths’ immigration exhibition at the Immigration Museum, hosted between 26 November 2009 to 28 May 2010,  has created a video that displays the view students have towards multiculturalism (The Immigration Museum 2009). 

Exhibition: Identity and Race

A girl in the video states that “learning about other cultures and religions within Australia it’s really good study, it’s like general knowledge and when you learn these things you accept people more...you don’t discriminate against them” (The Immigration Museum 2009). This is supported by a survey conducted by the Australian Institute (2004) which found that 96% of the people surveyed agree that “it is good for children of different ethnic and religious backgrounds to mix at school” (Ho 2011). This view is opposed in the statistics, which indicate that private schools, which don’t represent the full diversity of society in comparison to private schools, are the fastest growing sector in the Australian education system (Ho 2011).

Realising the fact that they are surrounded by a rich culturally diverse environment does not mean that cultural assumptions based on stereotypes is an approach to dealing with the other (About racism: understanding racism 2010). School micro-publics are effective in that education is compulsory and schooling is a long term phase, thus the entrenchment of recognition and respect can be achieved in an environment of continual interaction. The students from the exhibition put this into perspective “everyone wants to be good but we all have differences...and we’ve got to understand that...yeah, but we’re ultimately the same”(The Immigration Museum 2009). 

References
About racism: understanding racism 2010, accessed 10 October 2012, <http://www.racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding/schools.html>.

Ho, C 2011, ‘Respecting the presence of others: school micropublics and everyday multiculturalism’, Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 32, no. 6, pp.603-619

Mansouri, F, Annelies, K 2007, ‘Structural deficiency or cultural racism: the educational and social experiences of Arab-Australian youth’, Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 87-102

The Immigration Museum 2009,  Exhibition-Identity and Race, Melbourne, online video, accessed 1 October 2012, <http://museumvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/discoverycentre/talking-faiths/the-exhibition/exhibition-video---identity/>.

The World Bank 2012, Net Migration, The World Bank Group, accessed 2nd October 2012, <http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SM.POP.NETM>.