Cultural Inequality In Australian Schools: A Case Study

Ethnicity in Australian schools arises from the global movement of people from diverse ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The reasons for movement vary from expatriation, refugee status, and asylum seeking, or people seeking better working and living conditions. As people move and settle in a new country, adjusting into a new environment has its challenges as they experience a change in a sense of place especially immigrants or refugees who are in detention centres for indefinite periods of time, or have temporary visas. Others experience change in a sense of identity, which is always tied to a person 's ethnic and cultural life, (Lawrence et al, 2012, p.78). As Hedges, (2012) purports, students from diverse cultures create multiple …show more content…
In the scenario provided, Marika’s “tourist curriculum,” (Goldman, 2011, paragraph 4) which denotes (teaching children about cultures through celebrations and artefacts such as food or clothing), left no deeper understanding of cultural diversity based on the comment made about boat people. Food day neither increased the students’ awareness of cultural difference nor did it evoke empathy with displaced students. A Venezuelan student in the YouTube video: "Because I’m Latino, I can’t have money?" Kids on Race, is evidence that holding food days as a symbol of cultural awareness is ineffective. Cultural diversity is more than food and clothing - the outward display of difference. In Hall, (1976)’s analogy of visible and hidden culture, food is at the tip of the iceberg. There are underlying, deep-rooted cultural traits that are less changeable encompassing values, attitudes and beliefs. Other cultural variables include non-verbal communication, worldviews and frames of reference. It is critical to understand these cultural concepts for each culture represented in the class to create cultural harmony among …show more content…
Teachers do not need to come from their students’ cultures to be able to teach them, but empathy and cultural knowledge create a basis for tackling such issues. As Siraj-Blatchford et al, (2004, p. 24) purports, the first step in addressing issues of cultural diversity is to recognise and acknowledge that the problems exist. Teachers must employ strategies that allow children to discuss, understand and deal with the prejudice and stereotype aimed at minority ethnic students in educational settings. While it is good practice to have cultural awareness, knowledge and sensitivity, it is critical for teachers to actively manage bias as it occurs. All children have the ability to learn and to make progress but without adequate support, the future for refugee children is one of school failure, loss of self-esteem and failing to integrate in the country they