Children and young people develop, learn and build a foundation for future wellbeing and success in early childhood settings, schools, TAFEs and universities. Education settings can nurture wellbeing through providing inclusive learning environments that celebrate diversity, build a shared understanding of traditions, beliefs and histories, encourage connection to other cultures and promote respect and appreciation.
All educational institutions have a key role to play in preventing, identifying and responding to incidents of racism, and there are several initiatives and policies in place to help Victorian schools do this. This includes Victoria’s Child Safe Standards, which set requirements for culturally safe learning environments, and intercultural capability in the Victorian Curriculum. Targeted resources like the Centre for Multicultural Youth’s and Victorian Government’s Schools standing up to racism guide also support positive school leadership on anti-racism.
Despite this, we know that racism in education settings remains, and there is more work to be done to make sure schools are culturally safe and free from racism. Experiences of racism in places of education can have a profound, long-term impact on children and young people’s:
- social and emotional wellbeing
- engagement and participation
- school and work opportunities
- connection to community
- sense of identity and self-worth.
First Peoples, multicultural and multifaith communities told us that schools have not effectively addressed racism against students. They reported that teachers and staff can lack the training or resources necessary to address racism. They can treat incidents as bullying or treat the perpetrator and victim as equally to blame. As a result, schools are sometimes an unsafe place for many First Peoples, multicultural and multifaith students and families.[114]
Schools can be a place where young people experience misunderstanding, alienation and racism. They are a critical setting in which young people learn about themselves and the world. This includes first experiences of racism, which can carry long-term impacts in life.
– Written submission from the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria
I was lucky at high school – nobody knew my brother and I were First Nations because [we] ... have fairer skin.
– Online survey respondent
First Peoples participants told us that the mainstream curriculum does not properly include their cultures, histories and experiences. They also said that the history of colonisation, violence and genocide of First Peoples is minimised. We heard calls to add these to the curriculum as well as antiracism lessons for teachers and students.
Racism is also a key barrier to First Peoples’ access, participation and success in tertiary education.[115] High attrition and low levels of aspiration for further study have been connected to fear of cultural isolation or racism in higher education.[116]
Racism in Victorian schools and universities
- A 2021 study showed that 87% of Melbourne students of African heritage have experienced racial discrimination at school. This includes 95% of girls and young women and 78% of boys and young men.[117]
- Another study found that almost one-third (31%) of students in New South Wales and Victorian government schools have personally experienced racism from their classmates, and 12% experienced racism from teachers.[118]
- Even more students have witnessed racism. Almost two-thirds (60%) of students report seeing racism at school between students. Nearly half (43%) have witnessed racism from teachers.[119]
- Nationwide, a 2023 study revealed that almost two-thirds of Jewish students have experienced antisemitism at university. Because of antisemitism, 57% of Jewish students have hidden their identity on campus, and 1 in 5 have avoided campus altogether.[120]
- In 2023 the Commission for Children and Young People’s extensive consultations with children and young people in out-of-home care found that racism in Victorian education settings significantly affects First Peoples students’ educational engagement, health and wellbeing.[121]
[114] K Hammond and N Bottriell, Stand out, speak up: racism and Islamophobia in Victorian schools – research report. Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights, Melbourne, 2023.
[115] J Gibbs, Y Paradies, G Gee and N Haslam, ‘The effects of Aboriginal tertiary students’ perceived experiences of racism and of cultural resilience on educational engagement’, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2022, 51(2).
[116] Gibbs et al., ‘The effects of Aboriginal tertiary students’ perceived experiences of racism and of cultural resilience on educational engagement’.
[117] The Ubuntu Project, Racism in schools: African Australian students speak up, The Ubuntu Project, 2021. https://fliphtml5.com/nbxmp/ukwb/basic>; W Tuohy, ‘Calls for anti-racism training as African-Australian students report discrimination in school’, The Age, 18 October 2022. <https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/calls-for-anti-racism-train…
[118] N Priest, S Chong, M Truong, M Sharif, K Dunn, Y Paradies, J Nelson, O Alam, A Ward and A Kavanagh, ‘Summary of findings’, Findings from the 2017 Speak Out Against Racism (SOAR) student and staff surveys, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University, Canberra, 2019. https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au
[119] Priest et al., ‘Summary of findings’, Findings from the 2017 Speak Out Against Racism (SOAR) student and staff surveys.
[120] Social Research Centre, The Jewish University Experience Survey <zfa.com.au>, Zionist Federation of Australia, 2023.
[121] Commission for Children and Young People, Let us learn: systemic inquiry into the educational experiences of children and young people living in out-of-home care, Commission for Children and Young People, Melbourne, 2023.
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