Two sides of Multiculturalism

Australia is believed to be a Multicultural country. Because we have a multicultural society, it made many discrimination acts possible. However, these eruptions cannot devalue the powerful dynamic of multiculturalism developing in Australia for more than 60 years. They do remind, though, that multiculturalism is a work in constant progress and needs attention to meet contemporary challenges. 

In 2010-11, NOM contributed the greatest number of people to the most populous states: New South Wales with a net of 50,200 persons, followed by Victoria (45,700), Queensland (31,300) and Western Australia (30,800). (Australian Bureau of Statistics) In seeing this growth in Oversea Migrates' population, one of Australia's greatest refugee success stories, Frank Lowy suggests that "Newcomers should know our liberal democracy provides impartial processes to air grievances and right wrongs. They should know there is a place for peaceful and lawful protest. Australians say to newcomers: you are welcome; you are free to worship; you are free to honour your heritage; and we will respect the differences between us. And in return, you should agree to live by the standards and values of this society, the one you have chosen to be part of. And agree to pass on these values to your children, to ensure they receive a broad and balanced education, untainted by the ideology of hate."

It seems like the problem of discrimination is never fixable. On one hand, everyone despite their cultural background is welcomed to come to Australia. On the other hand, they are "forced" to live by the standards and value of the Australian society. We are always different to "you" and "your culture". They are forced to live by it and pass it onto their children. Is it not hate? The White value is always higher than other ethnic and cultural background. This emphasises on Bourdiea’s idea of high ‘culture’ that the "White culture" is seen as dominant, ‘normal and right.’ Was it shaped by Hitler's anti-Semitism (against Jewish people) or was it influenced by the "White Australian Policy" back in the 1900s? If the Whitlam government did not accept the policy of Multiculturalism, would Australia be considered as one of the world's largest immigration and Multicultural country?

It becomes so important that Multicultural education is for all schools and students and is integral to the school curriculum. Schools have a key role to play in: They enable all students (despite their ethnic backgrounds) to identify as Australians. They educate students about Australia’s democratic, multicultural society and their rights and responsibilities as members. They also promote social cohesion, community harmony and addressing racism. They provide learning environments that allow all students to reach their full potential. Schools address barriers that may limit participation of students from LBOTE (Language background other than English). Schools assist students to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills to participate effectively in a culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse community, nation and world. The Department is committed to eliminating all forms of racism. No one should experience racism within Department environment. Eradicating and challenging racism is responsibility of all staff. Promoting acceptance of diversity is responsibility of all staff. All schools should have a trained Anti-Racism Contact Officer.

Clearly, multiculturalism is not a one day program, it is something that everyone should be involved in. There should not be any ignorance towards any culture or ethnic groups. It is not just about saying "I accept you" without meaning it. It is about inclusion of everyone. It is about fairness and rights. At the end of the day, we are all just humans living in this world and are being created equality.  

References:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/two-sides-to-the-blend-of-cultures-20120919-266xb.html

 Leonardo, Z. (2009). Affirming ambivalence: Introdution to cultural politics and education. In Z. Leonardo (ed.), Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education (pp. 1-48), Rotterdam : Sense Publishers.

Education is the key to acceptance

Just as 7 years ago, there was the most shocking event that happened on the Cronulla Beach known as the 2005 Cronulla Riots, the same racist event happened on the 17th September 2012. Cronulla Riots were populated largely by Australian young people, young men, acting out in violence against the Lebanese people in nationalistic pride. Majority of these men had been through, or are currently going through the Australian public education system. So does that mean that the education system could have done something differently earlier? Could this have been permitted if there were something altered in the teaching of ethnicity and racism in the education system?

The Australian Prime Minister and the NSW Premier argued that race and racism were not the underlying causes of the incidents (Barclay and West: 2006). 

Prime minister John Howard declared, “I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country” In his national Australia day speech, four weeks after the riot. He called for a renewal of the teaching of Australia's history in schools. The NSW state premier, only days earlier had announced that students of government public schools would be taught more about Australia values as part of the revamp of the Australian education system. (Calma, T, 2006)

The Sunday Morning Herald writes states that the Saturday violence was not about the trashy film that denigrated the Muslim religion. It may well be, as both claim, about perceptions that are particular to the Muslim community. In accordance to Amin, "Not all urban spaces are ‘‘natural servants of multicultural engagement" (2002: 967), Christina Ho also suggests that people are territorialised by particular groups, steeped in surveillance or spaces of transit with very little contact between strangers. However, in today's society, cultural terrain is vastly different. There are a range of ethnic groups and religion. Just as other religions are permitted in Australia, such as, the Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's witnesses, Catholic, Hinduism, Buddhism, so should the Muslim community.Religious schools are government-funded. The traditions of dozens of different national and ethnic groups are celebrated in schools and communities. 

The challenge facing the Muslim community is to educate its youth about the advantages of a society that has struggled to change its attitudes and perceptions within a single lifetime.

To prevent future riots of this magnitude, a new approach must be taken for the future youth of this planet. This issue of racism needs addressing in the education system, schools have the power to influence children on such massive world issues, such as racism. Teachers should always be aware of the issue in the classroom, and should be willing to educate the children on the different cultures in the world. The need to educate and teach Australian youths as well as the older generations that it is not a matter of "tolerance" which we need to overcome but "acceptance" and respect, or maybe even love for each other, regardless of what religion, culture or whether or not one's parents were born on our shores. Australia is aiming to recreate their multicultural identity and is attempting to mend any unhealed wounds that were determined during this anarchic period of time. 

Ruth Wilson from Bowral said:

"If you wish to be respected, show that it is deserved. If you want to be heard, please speak in ways so we can listen. If you want to be included, you need to be respected and heard. If you need help with any of the above, a balanced education is the key.

There is no other good way."

Reference:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/education-key-to-muslim-challenge-20120919-266v6.html

Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.

A racist little outfit

Victoria’s Secret recently decided to add a dash of racism to their new line, called “Go East” which features lots of what they call “touches of eastern delight.” In Racialicious; a website that dissects the intersection of race and popular culture, accused Victoria’s secrets’ new line isn’t celebrating the beauty of a fabric patterns or design motif, but it is in fact promoting a racially and sexually demeaning fantasy version of Asian women. 

It has not been a problem having “white” costumes around for years and now that we have an “Asian” costume it’s a problem all of a sudden. The central argument of such approach is that there is a difference in power, which allows the naming of some racial and ethnic groups (e.g. ‘blacks,’ ‘Asians’) and not others (e.g. ‘whites’). Social scientists have developed understandings of how social structures constructed around notions of race and ethnicity contribute to maintaining a relatively stable heirachy of social positions and racialised inequality. 

“The meaning of whiteness has always been associated with relative privilege and a higher status that that accorded to non-white identities.” What, exactly is meant by ‘white’? What are the meanings associated with this category that make it such an object of desirable identification? For Richard Dyer (1997), the answer lies in considering the meanings that white people have associated with whiteness in representations of themselves throughout history.  

Biological explanations of difference are insufficient in accounting for the political and economic differences that are reproduced along racial lines, but rather, wuch differences are better explained by paying attention to the ways in which biological features such a skin colour came to be associated with particular social positions and discursive meanings. The validity of social constructions of race becomes clear when we consider the ways in which particular racial categories have shifted over time. History tells us that racial categories are highly flexible, shifting their borders and content in response to specific historical events and relations of power. 

Considering the complicated history of geishas, repurposing the ‘geisha look’ for a major corporation to sell as role-playing lingerie is nothing more than “a troubling attempt to sidestep authentic representation and humanization of a culture and opt instead for racialized fetishizing against women.” 

References:

·         Farida Fozdar , Raelene Wilding; Mary Hawkins, Race and ethnic relations,South Melbourne, Vic. : Oxford University Press 2009

·         http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/lingerie-lunacy-is-this-really-racist/story-e6freuy9-1226481025622

Class Size and Education

The smaller the class, the more attention a teacher can give to each student. Students then can receive better education and learning outcomes. Nearly a quarter of a century after a groundbreaking study, Project STAR, was begun in Tennessee, there is general agreement that smaller classes are better than larger ones. 


In South Australia, teachers want the average class size reduced from 30 to 20 students. In the Northern Territory, AEU branch president Nadine Williams says the current ratio of one teacher to 22 children is a problem in the Territory where needs are great. The union is seeking a staff-student ratio of no more than one to 15 up to Year 3. In NSW a class size reduction for the early years was introduced in 2004, with the targets being 20 for the first year of school, 22 for Year 1 and 24 for Year 2.
Blatchford, a world authority on class size, says  “One solution to make more strategic use of context for pupils learning together, with a deliberate attempt to minimise the teacher’s input, where pupils have more control over the learning that takes place.” He says professional development should be used to help teachers harness the opportunities of small classes, and help teachers develop strategies for realising educational objectives in large classes.However, infrastructure NSW has recommended the state government to increase the shared use of school assets and absorb 90 per cent of new school places on existing school sites. This means that 225,000 extra students will be sharing the same space as and public facilities with other businesses. 




The Premier Barry O’Farrell states that the government will need to rule out 225,000 students into existing public schools. The opposition spokeswoman for education, Carmel Tebbutt, said the government last year reported 400 new schools would be needed in NSW over the next 15 years. However the Infrastructure NSW report says just 29 new schools are expected to be built. 

Mr Robertson said the government would need to employ an extra 16,340 teachers in order to maintain the existing student to teacher ratio of 15.3 per cent. At the same time, The NSW Education Minister Adrain Piccoli just cut $1.7 billion in the Education budget, making schools and other education institutions are a "hard call". He has guaranteed that class sizes will not continue to increase between now and 2016. Does this mean that some students will not be able to attend some schools? Not only do governments cut down the budget of education fees, as well as employing more teachers and cramming students into a large classroom.

Parents are worried about these education rights in Australia and effects of it to children. These students are not getting the education they are suppose to get. It has affected fairness to education and the learning outcomes of teaching as more attention needs to be paid to each students in class.

Reference:
University of London 
research: Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., and Brown, P. (2005) Teachers‟ and pupils‟ behaviour in large and small classes: a systematic observation study of pupils aged 10/11 years. Journal of Educational 
Psychology, 97,3, 454-467
http://www.classsizeresearch.org.uk/Blatchford.%20Behaviour.%2010-11.pdf 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/schools-forced-to-cram-kids-in/story-e6freuzi-1226489484231