People living in Australia often use a saying ‘a fair go.’ This phrase encompasses the beliefs of equality and fairness which Australians consider to be the foundation of their country’s history. As one may say, everyone deserves ‘a fair go’ regardless of his or her occupation, gender, race, or age. However, while many problems of disparity and unfairness are present in all parts of the world, it is critical to evaluate whether Australia gives its residents equal chances and opportunities in life.
For instance, the problem of learning accessibility for various groups is present in many countries. In some cases, children with learning disabilities and speech pathologies may not be given equal opportunities. In other situations, racism becomes an issue that is challenged by both teachers and students. These problems can be present in the everyday lives of Australians as well. Currently, Australia is working towards creating and maintaining a comfortable atmosphere for a diverse community of young and adult students.
Some major themes in improving Australian education to give everyone an equal chance at success include helping students with speech pathologies, supporting cultural diversity, helping people learn English, and creating inclusive education for all (Andrewartha & Harvey 2014). These issues are addressed on various stages of learning. Primary, secondary, and high school students can be affected by racism, ableism, and other types of unfair treatment. Moreover, college students can also be impacted by these issues. One can address different aspects of this example to assess the level of equality that Australia can currently offer to its citizens.
First of all, it is clear that children with disabilities require additional help in order to complete all steps of the educational process and not feel pressured to adhere to the outlined criteria. According to Capano (2015), the Australian government adopted specific standards of education for students with disabilities rather early. Therefore, it is possible to assume that such students do not feel undervalued in Australian schools.
However, Anderson and Boyle (2015) note that the structure of the country’s education is complex and includes multiple types of institutions. Each of these sectors is funded differently, either including or excluding students with disabilities into their programs. For instance, schools that provide parents with a choice to pay for access can segregate young individuals based on their socio-economic status. Here, one can see the problem of social conflict, as one group may appear to be more privileged than the other. Children with disabilities can come from families with a higher and lower income, and their access to inclusive education may be limited.
While Australia follows some legislative acts to improve its educational systems, the country still struggles with some issues. For instance, Anderson and Boyle (2015) state that the national curriculum has to be investigated further to ensure that the needs of all students are incorporated into the learning process. National testing can show that many young people get excluded from its results as their health requirements are not accounted for by the tests’ procedures.
Students with intellectual disabilities can even be prohibited to participate in the first place. Such actions cannot be considered fair to a rather significant portion of all students. Moreover, this issue does not correspond to the disability standards for education mentioned above as these persons are not given the same amount of care and attention as other students. The primary purpose of such testing is to assess the overall literacy of students and the quality of education in the country. Therefore, exclusion of individuals leads to test results that do not fairly represent the actual situation.
Another challenge present in Australian schools today is their ability to adequately address linguistic and cultural diversity. Racial and cultural homogeneity in classrooms is becoming increasingly rare in many countries of the world, including Australia (Santoro & Kennedy 2016). The rates of immigration are increasing, which leads to schools having to accommodate individuals from different countries and cultural backgrounds. For example, Santoro and Kennedy (2016) evaluate the representation of culturally diverse students in the standards created for Australian teachers. These rules mention diversity and outline the specific group of aboriginal students as well.
Furthermore, the importance of the cultural background and its influence on the students’ opinions, experiences, and knowledge is also highlighted in the text. The focus in aboriginal students is understandable as well. Teachers are expected not only to understand but also to respect other cultures and students in general. However, the information in these rules does not offer any specific strategies for creating a comfortable and respectful atmosphere in the classroom.
Although these standards encourage teachers to respect all students and influence their classmates to do the same, international and aboriginal students can still face racism in schools. According to Forrest, Lean, and Dunn (2016), schools can become the primary place where children and adolescents encounter prejudice because of their race, culture, or religion. These experiences can affect young students and negatively impact their mental health.
Moreover, their education can also be influenced by racism as some teachers may try to separate students according to their background. In this case, young individuals from minority communities such as aboriginal Australians can be at a disadvantage in the learning process. Anderson and Boyle (2015) also note the increasing exclusion of minority students and their placement into segregated classroom settings. The authors argue that the rates of suspension are also higher among indigenous students. Such conditions cannot offer fair opportunities to all students as one group is being placed higher than others.
A university can also become a place of tension because of people’s different backgrounds. Howells, Westerveld, and Garvis (2017) state that some students studying in Australia to become speech pathologists can have negative experiences related to their profession because of their language and culture. Some students who have an accent while speaking English note that their conversations can be somewhat tense because of various negative stereotypes and assumptions.
Furthermore, the understanding of multiple languages and cultures can also be difficult for both international and domestic students. Nevertheless, most students state that they are satisfied with the educational system in Australia and that negative experiences are rare. Their profession is closely connected with speech and pronunciation, which can explain their optimistic attitude towards these experiences. Here, accents and cultural differences can become a limitation for some students as opposed to the situation of children and adolescents in a general school setting.
The process of language acquisition can also have some problems for non-native English speakers. The history of English as a Second Language (ESL) education in Australia shows that the state still has some issues with multiculturalism despite its immigrant nature (Oliver, Rochecouste & Nguyen 2017). The authors point out that the country has progressed significantly through the years and that the current focus of education is shifting from providing ESL for all students to creating a more diverse community.
However, this process has some adverse outcomes as funding for ESL courses is becoming increasingly unstable (Oliver, Rochecouste & Nguyen 2017). Thus, the level of language proficiency of the students who are not able to finish these courses can negatively impact their experiences in schools and society as a whole.
It should be noted that Australia works towards creating accessible college education for its students. Andrewartha and Harvey (2014) present a program that tried to address the concerns of students who came from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Here, mature age students and people who were first-generation college attendants were given an opportunity to learn on the same basis as others. This program also gave refugees and other disadvantaged groups a chance to access tertiary education.
Marston and Dee (2015) argue that national policies often ignore the inclusion of disadvantaged people into such areas of daily living as education and training. This program can become a viable example of the success that underrepresented individuals can achieve with enough attention and care.
Australia is a country with a diverse society that has communities with various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. It is clear that its government, as well as its citizens, is trying to make all members of this society comfortable and equal. The sphere of education has a number of issues that put minority groups at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, the country continues to improve its policies regarding accessible and inclusive learning. While it cannot be said that Australian educational system is without any flaws, it attempts to provide students with equal opportunities.
Reference List
Anderson, J & Boyle, C 2015, ‘Inclusive education in Australia: rhetoric, reality and the road ahead’, Support for Learning, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 4-22.
Andrewartha, L & Harvey, A 2014, ‘Willing and enabled: the academic outcomes of a tertiary enabling program in regional Australia’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 50-68.
Capano, G 2015, ‘Federal strategies for changing the governance of higher education: Australia, Canada and Germany compared’, in G Capano, M Howlett & M Ramesh (eds), Varieties of Governance, Palgrave Macmillan UK, London, pp. 103-130.
Forrest, J, Lean, G & Dunn, K 2016, ‘Challenging racism through schools: teacher attitudes to cultural diversity and multicultural education in Sydney, Australia’, Race Ethnicity and Education, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 618-638.
Howells, S, Westerveld, M & Garvis, S 2017, ‘Revisiting cultural and linguistic diversity in speech pathology programs in Australia: listening to the voices of staff and international students’, in G Barton & K Hartwig (eds), Professional Learning in the Work Place for International Students, Springer, New York, NY, pp. 165-182.
Marston, G & Dee, M 2015, ‘The social inclusion policy agenda in Australia: a case of old wine, new bottles?’, Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 119-138.
Oliver, R, Rochecouste, J & Nguyen, B 2017, ‘ESL in Australia – a chequered history’, TESOL in Context, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 7-26.
Santoro, N & Kennedy, A 2016, ‘How is cultural diversity positioned in teacher professional standards? An international analysis’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 208-223.