Australia is one of the largest multicultural countries in
the world, with over 250 different cultural backgrounds finding home in
Australia. One of the most high- profile educational incidents in Australia is
that of racism. Racism can exists anywhere in a school environment, and can
target anyone associated with the school; students, teachers, cleaners, office
and canteen staff etc. Racism arises as a result of the vast amount of cultural
differences that exist in a school.
Racism is one of the major issues today that affects students of different cultures in schools. The reason behind the prevalence of
racism is due to the vast array of cultural differences that exist in any school
environment. Many students experience racism everyday which socially affects
their way of life. Students experiencing racism might be afraid of going to
school, confused about their own identity and have trouble making friends. According
to an article in Eye Witness News, a child at a school in Johannesburg was
forced to leave school because of racial abuse which resulted in the student
being forced to drink his own urine (Ngobeni, 2013). This example to some
extent reveals what some students face in their day to day lives by just going
to school. However, not necessarily is racism physical, but in most cases
verbal. Someone possibly swearing at your religious beliefs or teasing your
language is also considered racism.
There are many things that can influence racism in a school
environment. These types of inequalities result from problems affiliated with
language, religion, integration into a new society and the exclusion of immigrants,
and in Australia’s case, the Indigenous people. Students attending a
multicultural school are more likely to experience racism or be a participant
of racism than students that attend a culture specific school. For example,
attending a Catholic only school limits racism in regards to religion. Students
are able to further relate to each other and understand each other’s
differences if they have some or most things in common, unlike students who do
not have anything in common in relation to culture. This is when tensions arise
between students and one party is physically and emotionally abused.
In my opinion, racism is going to continue to exist in
schools and cannot entirely be eliminated due to the fact that Australia is a
culturally diverse country with many cultural differences and cultural
identities. However, in saying that, although racism cannot be fully
eliminated, strategies can be implemented to try and stir students away from
committing such acts. According to an article published by ABC News (Taha, 2013),
the principal of Punchbowl High School, Jihad Dib, is on a mission in an
attempt to turn all the problems of racism around in the school. The school has
had a troubled past and is a period that Mr Dib described as a “horrible run”
where “violence and damage was not … unusual” (Dib, 2013). There are many
strategies that a school can implement in an attempt to minimise the amount of
racism in schools. According to Sandra Parks (1999), “prevention involves
classroom instruction and professional development that identifies racist
influences and prevents them from taking hold in hearts and minds”. This implies
that each school must have their own strategies and policies to tackle the idea
of racism in any environment. The less racism that exists in a school the
better the school environment for both the students and school staff.
References:
·
Ngobeni, L.
(2013, September 22). Racism and Bullying
in Joburg School. Retrieved from http://ewn.co.za/2013/09/21/Racism-and-bullying-in-Joburg-school#
·
Parks, S.
(1999, April). Reducing the Effects of
Racism in Schools. ProQuest, 56(7), 14-18
·
Taha, M.
(2013, July 31). Teachers, pupils on
mission to tackle racism in Australian schools. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps- students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools/4854174
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