REFUGEE EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

Social Change Process

Word Count: 3,055

Aishwarya Ramamurthi, Olivia Baillie, Andrew Langham, Guo Benson

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 1

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1

Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………………………………1-3

Part 2

Sector Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

The Public Sector……………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

Not For Profit Sector……………………………………………………………………………………………….4-6

For Profit Sector………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Part 3

Designing A Solution……………………………………………………………………………………………....7-9

Part 4

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………………………10-12

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………….....13-14

INTRODUCTION

There are currently a record-high number of refugees (Dryden-Peterson, 2016). In just 2014, 2.9

million individuals joined the already 17 million refugees globally as they were displaced across

international borders due to conflicts in Iraq, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of

Congo, Syria and more (Dryden-Peterson, 2016). Along with this is a growing animosity towards

refugees, as many Western countries promote an anti-refugee mentality. Thus, it becomes

important for policy-makers worldwide to focus on mitigating barriers to integration and social

inclusion. Literally generally agrees on the key role education plays in the integration of refugees

into a resettlement community. Schools provide safe spaces for social growth, deliver literacy,

facilitate intellectual development, and promote cultural understanding. However, refugees

experience a disproportionate barrier in access to the education system and even within the

education system, face discrimination, challenges with social integration, and often go from

highly-skilled students and workers in their previous countries to the new underclass (Matthews,

2008). In this paper, we investigate the root causes of the poor access and quality of refugee

education, examine the current context within Australia, and ultimately propose a creative

change process to begin to tackle the social issue.

LITERATURE REVIEW

First and foremost, many studies speak to the lack of funding and resources in school systems

and particularly for refugee programs as a primary root cause of the issue. In fact, countries

where 86% of refugees reside already suffer from a fragile and under-funded education system

(Dryden-Peterson, 2016). Within Australia as a whole, schools generally lack the sufficient

resources to provide English as a Second Language teaching (Matthews, 2008). For example,

one study focused on schooling and refugees in Queensland concluded that the funding

mechanism was highly complex, lacking sufficient teachers and resources (Matthews, 2008).

Even the existing teachers lacked professional development training to help them better assist

refugees (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012). Absent from the legislation in Queensland is any sort of budget

specifically financing refugee education, and this is a common global trend (Taylor & Sidhu,

2012). Historically, this sector has been underfunded due to the negative portrayal of refugees as

leeches of public assistance and thus undeserving of tax money, which has been harmful for the

development of refugee-specific educational initiatives (Tollefson, 1990).

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With reference to the curriculum, studies differ on the emphasis that should be placed on English

and literacy growth. Some researchers argue that at its core, a school is responsible for

facilitating the growth of literacy as it is a key indicator of education success and social

integration (Matthews, 2008). One of the key issues identified in many refugee education

programs was this very lack of language support (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012). However, other studies

argue that refugee students often spend a disproportionate amount of time on literacy

development, with a lack of attention placed on age-appropriate academic coursework (Dryden-

Peterson, 2016). These studies show how detrimental it can be to view refugee education

programs as one-dimensional platforms for promoting literacy (Matthews, 2008).

Regardless of emphasis placed on literacy, most studies contend that a significant issue faced by

many refugees in education systems is discrimination by teachers, other students, and the

curriculum itself (Dryden-Peterson, 2016). One report that aims to provide an analysis of

theoretical issues surrounding refugee education argues that a critical concern is the lack of

information in many host countries about refugee students’ experiences (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012).

These studies contend that the extent to which schools meet the needs of refugees can be

assessed by the extent to which they offer an informative curriculum about refugees (Hattam &

Every, 2010). It is crucial to the integration of refugees that students of host countries perceive

refugees in a positive light and aim to understand their situation, both of which can be heavily

influenced by the given curriculum (Hattam & Every, 2010). Some universities have been

successful in creating an inclusive curriculum and incorporating cultural awareness training for

staff (Terry et al., 2014). Without this, the curriculum fails to support the long-term development

of refugee students and makes the transition to “normalcy” much more difficult (Smith, 2013).

While many studies show the importance of English classes and cultural curriculum setting, it

should be noted that most studies also agree that because all refugees stem from different

backgrounds, they cannot and should not be grouped into a homogenous category labeled as

“refugee”. Refugee is a legal status, comprising of people from various national, ethnic,

linguistic, racial and cultural backgrounds, forced to migrate for different reasons (Matthews,

2008). Another study effectively claims that a fundamental cause of problems with refugee

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education stems from the treatment of refugees as a homogenous group (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012).

By overlooking the diverse circumstances and backgrounds of different refugee communities,

refugee education programs tend to struggle with promoting social inclusion (Terry et al., 2014).

Dryden-Peterson (2016) discusses how this failure has forced many refugees to resort to informal

schools that are culturally sensitive, but this can cause a student to fall behind in academic

content. Ultimately, these studies conclude that education systems often fall short for refugees

because while each refugee is unique, the programs are not unique to each individual.

While many studies stress the importance of not generalizing, some researchers argue that

equally important is not individualizing the issue by medicalizing it. One study points out the

prevalence of psychological approaches that emphasize pre-displacement trauma and blame that

as a cause of unsuccessful integration into school systems (Matthews, 2008). A prime example

cited in one study highlights this trend in Queensland, where funds for refugee education were

obtained from mental health programmes in the state department (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012). As a

result, the refugee came to be viewed as a subject of trauma rather than a productive and skilled

student (Taylor & Sidhu, 2012). Many researchers thus urgently called for a more dynamic view

of the refugee situation, which takes into account personal factors such as skills, passions, values,

and hopes, rather than adopting a lens focused on pathologies, flaws, and disorders (Terry et al.,

2014). These studies agree on the need for a holistic approach focused on merging schools and

communities in order to produce a welcoming environment for students (Terry et al., 2014).

SECTOR ANALYSIS

The public, not-for-profit (NFP) and for profit sector all play a vital role in the creation of social

change. As they all have different focuses, the collaboration between the three allows for specific

expertise as well as substantial funding to be applied to the relevant social issue. The three

sectors all undertake initiatives in order to support and encourage the education of recently

settled refugees within Australian society. These initiatives are crucial to the wellbeing of

refugees as they are entering into a completely new culture and will face many different

hardships with this. Education of refugees is more than providing them with the appropriate

schooling, it is the integration into society, into friendship circles, finding employment, and most

importantly making them identify Australia as their new home.

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THE PUBLIC SECTOR

The public sector undertakes a range of different initiatives and programs all supported by the

NSW Department of Education and Communities. These programs primarily focus on targeting

education through primary, secondary and tertiary education of refugee children and young

adults. English as a second language (ESL), refugee student support in primary and secondary

schools, homework and tutorial support and counselling support are all programs that have been

implemented (Roads to Refuge, 2015). The public sector has also identified that a systems

approach of holism needs to be implemented to attack this complex issue, in which there are

many different aspects interacting in different ways, which cannot solely be solved through the

education of refugee children (Salignac, 2016). While education consists of a substantial part of

the change process, the complex system addresses the fact that there are a large number of

influencing variables which also need to be considered.

To address these further influencing variables, the department has also implemented initiatives

and programs focused on family settlement through orientation programs, financial support, and

also support through community partnerships such as Migrant Resource Centres (MRC),

Universities and Jobquest (Roads to Refuge, 2015). The department also realises that in order to

support refugee education they must also support the schools providing these programs.

Professional support for schools and professional learning for school based staff has also been

provided to ensure that refugees are receiving the best and most relevant education to fit their

needs.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR

The not-for-profit sector focuses on aiding vulnerable and disadvantaged people in our society.

Their primary aim is to implement social change into society through the use of the CSI social

impact framework (Young, 2016).

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Since the not-for-profit sector in Australia has become so large and diverse, it is difficult to gain

a holistic understanding of how different activities contribute to the sector and measure how

many NFPs have been set up in order to address a specific social issue. The following analysis of

the NFP sector will include the most pertinent organisations addressing the education of refugees

in Australia (Young, 2016).

After an analysis of the NFP sector, it is evident that this sector is the most influential and active

when it comes to supporting the education of refugees into Australia. There are a range of

different organisations and services refugees can utilise. The Refugee Council of Australia

(RCOA) is funded through contributions from its members and by project grands from

philanthropic bodies and government agencies (Refugee Council of Australia, 2013). One of

their five key focal areas includes community education. This has been done through projects

such as the Beginning a Life in Australia (BaLIA) booklet (See Appendix A). As this has been

created in the form of a booklet, it has enabled refugees who may live in rural areas with not

many educational resources to have access to this information.

Another NFP addressing this social issue is Adult Multicultural Education Services Australia

(AMES Australia). Their main focus is on offering educational courses primarily for adults to

help settle into Australia, get a job, and go on to further education or training to get a better job

(AMES, 2016). It caters for refugees of all backgrounds and all educational levels, offering

courses for people with very little English or work skills, to advanced levels for new arrivals

with professional qualifications looking for a job in their field (AMES, 2016). This helps to

address the issue of ‘educational transfer’, as while a man or a woman may have been highly

(Young, 2016)

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qualified in their home country, these qualifications may not translate directly to the Australian

system, and therefore be detrimental to their future work prospects. AMES works to correct this

through providing courses to cater to this issue through implementing educational training

pathways (See Appendix B).

Save the Children Australia is catered to helping refugee children through providing many

different initiatives and programs. In particular, they provide early learning programs in order to

help newly arrived migrant and refugee children settle into Australia. It places a primary focus

on children, however, also addresses parenting support to ensure that child abuse and neglect are

reduced, and to protect children and mothers who have previously experienced family violence

(Save the Children, 2016).

As it can be seen, the NFP sector does offer expertise in this area and furthermore caters to one

of two identified demographics, adults or children. Through a systems approach they have

understood that every system is unique and these two systems require two very different

approaches in regards to education standards.

FOR PROFIT SECTOR

The for profit sector is not as influential with activating initiatives and programs to address the

social issue of refugee education. One example however is the Bread and Butter Project. It

operates as a public company with a voluntary board of directors and identifying as a social

enterprise. While they do operate as a commercial business, they are also a registered charity

with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status (Bread and Butter Project, 2016). Their initiative is to

operate as a wholesale bakery where 100% of the profits made are put back in to training and

employment opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers in Sydney. In turn, this helps

empower the least privileged in the community (Bread and Butter Project, 2016).

Large corporations are known to provide funding to NFP sector projects, however will usually

not initiate their own projects, this is because they realise that they do not possess the expertise

that the organisations in the NFP sector have and therefore, to highlight their corporate social

responsibility (CSR), they instead fund NFP projects (Salignac, 2016).

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DESIGNING A SOLUTION

Vision:

- To see refugees wholly integrated into the existing education system, which includes

social integration, an appropriate curriculum, and development of cultural awareness for

both refugee and local students.

The process by which this social change is enacted is a rather goal driven one which is based on

fixing the problem’s root causes and the further consequences which are inevitable from a lack

of a centralized and researched approach. These goals would help keep our approach centralized

and streamlined in our desire to enact social change in this issue, which is a good way to plan

and structure our ideas.

Goals for the social issue:

1) Language proficiency

2) Intercultural understanding (recognition that this is a two way process)

3) Development of a support system

4) Skills and work training

5) Providing schools and facilities with the tools and resources to achieve these goals set out

(if the infrastructure is not available, then the overall process is undermined)

6) Establishing the safety and security of the refugees to increase their sense of comfort and

belonging

7) Emphasizing a holistic approach, which does not individualize the issue in question

Approach:

A cross sector collaborative approach would allow for the most legitimate and valid way for this

approach to be successful. The relationship between the private and public sectors is important in

this issue as the private sector would allow for the necessary funds to be in place and available

while the public sector would legitimize this entire operation. The most important aspect of

government for this issue in question would be the local government, as they would have the

greatest ability to create ideas and facilities to help achieve our goals. The state and federal

governments would allow for legitimacy yet operate on a more macro level compared to local

government which is able to focus on the micro issues needed to be realized. Literature has

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shown the importance of recognizing the differences between different refugee populations, only

able to be achieved by local government in a local context. The not-for profit sector would also

be important to provide the experience and hands on ability for this approach. Thus, in the

process of formulating an approach, it is important to acknowledge the advantage of each sector

and integrate them in an effective manner.

From the literature, it is also clear that it is important to employ a systems approach. When

looking at a map of root causes and effects (Appendix C), the interconnectedness of the entire

system is evident. For example, both lack of funding and discrimination are root causes of this

social issue. If only funding is addressed and discrimination continues, then effects of poor

education will be experienced, causing further discrimination, and worsening access and quality

of education. Without a single, clear root cause and effect, it becomes important to probe into

different target areas and assess outcomes, a trademark of emergent change. This allows for the

necessary adaptation in response to changes within the system and employs a holistic approach

that targets the many interconnected root causes of the issue.

Allies:

We utilized a tactical map (Appendix D) to identify the center relationship of the social issue: the

refugee student and the school. Other players that indirectly affect the refugee student include the

community, family, curriculum, teachers, and local students. Within this map, we identified the

nature of each relationship, particularly noting relationships of power. Literature has shown that

teachers, curriculum and local students have a profound impact on the ability of a student to

integrate into the education system. Teacher development, classroom instruction, and curriculum

are all influenced by policy, thus indicating the need for local government to be involved in the

design and solution process.

Tactics:

1) The approach should incorporate ESL classes, which would allow for increased language

proficiency and more intercultural sharing, thereby targeting Goals 1 and 2. It would also expand

job opportunities, important for future sustainability and integration of that refugee into the

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community. English classes are also the first essential step to community integration as they

allow for the growth of relationships with locals.

2) Sport would be important in promoting intercultural exchange, allowing for the sharing of

experiences and creation of bonds and relationships. Ultimately, this would help in achieving the

goal of safety and security by fostering relationships both internally within the refugee

community and externally with locals. In general, sport has the ability to transcend differences

between people, upholding a fundamental level of comradery.

3) More research is necessary to understand the demographics of specific areas allowing for a

more tailored approach to help educate the refugees efficiently within a specific community.

Current migrant centers are in need of revamping and improvement to better meet the needs of a

largely heterogeneous refugee population.

4) Another incredibly important aspect of our process is the education of Australians of the

plight of the refugee within their country. Educating the local population about refugees is

crucial in mitigating any negative bias and implicit racism towards refugees that is often

perpetuated in Western culture.

In order to create an educational initiative that ties together all the aspects mentioned above via a

holistic approach, we would like to pursue the creation of an organization: MentoRefugee, which

operates in both the public and not-for-profit sector, but aims to get funding from private

investors. Employees of the organization will work with local governments to create a culturally

sensitive curriculum, work with schools to deliver refugee trainings to teachers, and will work

with refugee students personally as counselors to address their needs individually. Employees

will be immigrants, migrants, and refugees from a wide variety of backgrounds, thus making

them best equipped to advise refugee students.

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APPENDICIES

Appendix A

(Refugee Council of Australia, 2016)

Appendix B

(AMES, 2016)

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Appendix C

Root Cause Map

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Appendix D

Tactical Map

Teachers – Schools = mutual Teachers –Refugees= powerCurriculum –school= power

Curriculum-refugees= powerCommunities-Schools=mutual

Communities-Refugees= mutualFamilies-Refugees=mutual

Local Students-Schools= mutualLocal Students-Refugees=power

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