Racism in education

As a growing multicultural country, Australian educational institutions have experienced an influx of immigrant students from various cultural backgrounds and inevitably racism and conflicts will occur within the educational environment and also the external environment that will in turn affect the student’s performance in school due to clash of interests, and opposing notions. Furthermore, stereotypical racial comments may interfere with optimal educational outcomes. Educational t outside the school grounds can lead to certain behavioural or outlooks towards school. aspects are not independent from factors outside, as the video below explores how an even

The video from News Corp (2013) explores a conflict between a boy of Asian descent and a 50 year old racist “white” woman that started from him blocking her view. Then, it sprouted into a barrage of racial slurs against the young man. Even though the event unfolded in an environment beyond the school, it is not difficult to imagine that there are people as such within the supposedly safe school environments, whether they are teachers or students. Also, through this we may be able to infer that such verbal attacks not only insult the school boy but also may change his perspective towards the “white” Australian cohorts that attend school with him. This is extremely detrimental towards the schooling system as it promotes conflicts between different racial or cultural groups, and can lead to a string of bullying within the school environment. Therefore, it is essential to recognise that an external factor can play a huge role within education and also that it is important to stamp out racism in and out of the schooling environment.

We know that racism, active or passive can be easily detected by the person on the receving end and has a negative effect on an individual’s schooling experience and ultimately their results in school. However, this can extend past the educational stages of the student when they are in the real world and have to deal with multiculturalism. If the schools do not educate and promote the acceptance of other parties from different cultural and racial backgrounds, the future society would be plagued with racism and prejudice. The issue of racism should be addressed at a young age before it blooms into an uncontrollable corporate or state issue.

As stated by Marx (2006), a teacher might have some sort of passive racism and this might not be shown through their behaviour towards the students in particular, but their notions and their actions towards the particular student compared to other students may be different due to their lack of understanding of the particular culture and out of will, their actions may show signs of racism.

Therefore, it is vital to recognise that educators of the 21^st century should not only be successful in educating students of their own background, but also develop an extensive understanding of the various educational needs that accompany the cultural and racial differences between students in a classroom. Also, teachers need to learn to eliminate bias within the classroom, whether it is race, gender or religion to promote a healthy and enriching environment with understanding and tolerance towards one another. Furthermore, the educational reforms to address racism and other biasness within the schooling environment will in turn lead up to a much more acceptant and tolerant society.

 Reference

1.      Marx, S, 2006, Revealing the invisible, Taylor & Francis Group, New York.

2.      News Corp 2013, School boy racially abused by 50-year-old woman on Sydney bus, Matt Young, Sydney, viewed 22 September 2013. <http://www.news.com.au/national-news/school-boy-racially-abused-by-50-year-old-woman-on-sydney-bus/story-fncynjr2-1226657226955#ooid=VrMjk1YzoZ4Lf6ow2xKe7eGhF3c56ffp>.