Globalisation and Trans-National Student Mobility: Test Case for Multiculturalism in Australian

Education

Anthony WelchUniversity of Sydney

Multicultural Australia

• Australia has been a country of migration for at least 200 years.

• With a reputation worldwide as a prototype of a modern, diverse society, Australia can fairly be deemed multicultural.

• Around 24% of Australians were born overseas; around 40% have at least one overseas-born parent.

• 25% of enrolments in higher education are international students (250,000).

An imperfect multiculturalism.

• In recent years, attempts made to demonise ‘asylum seekers’, including efforts to prevent them landing in Australia.

• Racist incident in 2005.• Demonstrations by Muslim Australians against

(perceived) victimisation. • Attacks on Indian students, Melbourne 2009. • Much remains to be done.

Australian Migration

• With the exception of Aborigines, Australians are all migrants (many from Europe). Education was often a powerful motivation.

• Cultural differences have always been part of the Australian experience.

• More recently, immigration has tilted towards Asian countries, most notably China.

• Australian history is replete with racism; the commitment to multiculturalism must be renewed by each generation.

History of Migration

• Of a total population of 22m, Australia welcomed its 6 millionth migrant in 2002 (a Filipina IT specialist).

• At the same time, internment camps were being established offshore and in the desert, to house asylum seekers.

• A longstanding tension existed between place and dominant cultural heritage.

Australia’s Neighbours

Culture, Language, Identity• Currently, around 200 migrant communities exist

in Australia. • This provides a rich and fertile storehouse of

cultural and linguistic experience. In both Melbourne and Sydney, around 25% of families speak another language at home.

• Yet, like other Anglo countries (UK, US, Canada, NZ), Australia’s record of second-language learning is poor. Of the few who study a language to Yr. 12, the large majority are from that linguistic background.

Selected community Languages 1991-2001

Language No. of Speakers 2001 % Change 1991-2001

Italian 353,606 -15.6

GermanGreek

76,444263,718

-32.6-7.7

ArabicMandarin

209,371139,288

28.6155.9

Hindi 47,817 110.4

Korean 39,528 100.1

Migration (2)

• 19th. Century Racist incidents against Chinese -> White Australia Policy (1947: Non-white 0.25%)

• German schools closed during WWI• Jewish refugees limited in late 1930s• Assimilationist era: ‘Assimilation would be complete

when nobody noticed the newcomer’ (Jupp, 2002).• 1970 ->Non-discriminatory migration. Now 40% Asian.• % of Skilled Migrants increased from 40% of total to

60% (1990-2008). Family Reunion from 44% to 30%.

Implications for Education

• 19th C. no accommodation: race and religion triumphed over difference.

• Assimilationist assumptions dominant in education until 1970s.

• Each state began to develop Multicultural policies and programmes in 1970s.

• Textbooks, curricula etc now should reflect contemporary multicultural Austr., but some feel their cultures still poorly represented.

Two Case Studies1. Muslims in Australia

• Muslims have been in Australia for at least 150 years. • Now 320,000, of whom 38% born in Australia. • Very unevenly distributed: 50% in one state, over 80% in

two most populous states. • Arabic speakers growing rapidly. • Muslims now 1.6% of population, and growing. • Incidents of harassment, Islamophobia (although less than

in e.g. Germany).• Unemployment rates for young Islamic men in suburbs of

Muslim density around twice that of young males in Sydney; Year 12 completion rates are less than two-thirds of the average for the country

Muslim Settlers, Australia and Europe

US Germany

France UK Spain Canada Australia

Total Popn.

305.5m 82m 65m 62m 46m 34m 22m

No of Muslims

2.5m(0.8%)

3.3m(4.0%)

5.5m(8.5%)

2.4m(3.9%)

900k(1.95%)

1m(2.94%)

350k(1.60%)

No. of Mosques

1,900 2,600 2,100 1,500 454 198 100-300

Islamic Schooling (1)• Muslim settlers experienced difficulties in providing appropriate

edn. for their children in 19th C. • Community schools now teach c. 50,000 children Arabic, but

retention rates poor. • Islamic schools now in each state, total population perhaps

15,000+. Mostly established in 1980s and 1990s. • Many now highly qualified, often more so than the general

population. Turkish community less so. • Some Muslims still ‘experience inter-generational unemployment

and poverty.’ Unemployment rate more than double overall population; much higher than Middle East born Christians (esp. if English was poor).

• Among some young males, this fosters alienation and breakdown of community.

Islamic Schooling (2)• Muslim schools vary in size, some one or two

hundred, at least one 1,750 strong. • Varying degrees of success: some highly

successful, others struggle. At least one is among the top 20 in the state.

• As with other religions, all Muslim Schools get major support from the state (60-80%). Fees generally low – perhaps $2,000 per child, p.a.

• Curric. and teachers are much like other schools, but with several hours a week devoted to studying Islam, and prayers.

Highly-skilled Chinese• High-skilled migration now over half of Australian

total. Of mainland Chinese, 80%+ are within highest skill categories.

• Non-discriminatory migration (since c. 1970) has led to increased migration from Asia, esp. China.

• Charges of brain drain to Australia from Asia not simple, as many Chinese maintain rel’ship. with China.

• Chinese Knowledge Diaspora more significant. • Chinese students becoming highly successful in

Australian schools e.g. Selective high schools.

Limits of Multicultural Schooling• While Australia’s multiculturalism is a success,

this is no cause for complacency. • Multiculturalism has long been seen as a value,

not merely a fact. Diversity enriching, something from which all should benefit.

• Schools a key site for promoting such values, esp. culturally diverse learning environments. This includes languages NSW 47 languages by 230 community groups in 2004.

• But discrimination persists, incl.among some teachers, and students. School success varies.

Indian Students. A Test Case?

• Internationalisation of Australian ed. system has enriched research, teaching, cultural diversity.

• Numbers have risen sharply in recent years, partly due to lax regulation (whereby migration not education was the goal): ‘..some providers and their agents (became) interested in ‘selling’ a migration outcome..’

• Total international enrolments rose from 228,000 in 2002 to 491,000 in 2009 (about half in higher ed).

• Some agents over promised; some institutions under-delivered, particularly in the private vocational college sector (hair dressing, cooking). Gov’t. review 2010..

Attacks on Students

• A worrying series of attacks on Indian students, some racist and some opportunistic, particularly in one state (Victoria) in 2009, was unexpected, unprecedented and unexplained.

• The attacks made front page headlines in Australia and India, temporarily damaging bi-lateral relations.

• Tardy and inadequate responses by police and politicians deepened dissatisfaction among students and families.

What is to be Done?• Clearly, more efforts need to be made to enhance

student security. • More efforts to promote the study of other languages

and cultures by Australians may help.• More efforts to enhance understanding of and

acceptance of cultural differences, and their contribution to Australian society.

• Multiculturalism in education can not deliver tolerance on its own, but has an important role to play.

• Commitment to Multiculturalism must be continually renewed, and not allowed to become ritualistic or taken for granted.