When we think back to just how hard it was starting school as a child, having to say good-bye to your parents, meeting new people that you've never seen before in your life, and how scary and traumatic that was because you were alone; now try and imagine a child having to do the same thing in a completely different country. In a country where they would have to re-learn a system of communication in a whole different language, as well as new and different customs, beliefs and traditions. This is the problem that refugee's and refugee students face, not only in Australia, but other countries around the world; these people who try to adapt to everyday life and build a better life for themselves and their families.
For these people the difficulty in transitioning between life in a protracted refugee situation- a place where they would have had to face torture, trauma and health problems, and moving to Australia in hopes of a better life, only to be thrown into a completely different and confusing environment can be very difficult; especially when it comes to the school environment. In Australian schools, refugee children are placed into classes with other children, based on age instead of their level of intellectual understanding. “ The Australian literature has also failed to take account of the diverse background and circumstances of refugee students. In recent years, when most of the refugees arriving in Australia have been from various African countries, there has been a failure to take account of their different countries of origin, and their differing experiences in countries of asylum...” (Taylor.S and Sidhu. K. R, 2012) Australia there are many different Government initiatives set in place to aid refugee's settlement into the country, and by providing them with the resources and support system to allow both children/student and parents to adapt and become as comfortable within our society as quickly as possible. One such policy is the Australia's refugee and Humanitarian program: “Australian Government has primary responsibility for migration and for providing initial settlement assistance to refugees arriving in Australia....The intensive assistance aims to help refugee and humanitarian entrants settle well and achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible after arrival.” (2008, Strengthening outcomes)
Not only does the stress of starting a new life and learning a new language impact on a refugee student's ability to adapt and learn the English language but also their parents could also be struggling to adjust to live, and find work in Australia. Discrimination and racism within the school environment is also a major impact on refugee children and could seriously discourage a student from wanting to learn. As well as this, within some aspects of Australian society there are deep anti-asylum, anti-multiculturalism and anti-human rights views that makes it clear to us that the divide in Australia with regards to asylum seekers and refugees create major issues for teachers and students.
There are so many refugee students within our education system who are being taught under this climate, however there are also many teachers wanting to teach against these views in order to provide good education for these refugee students and give them the chance at the best life. It is such teachers through the aid of policies and initiatives that will help the transition from their home country and life, and into the system of Australian society and education that will allow these refugees to attain the best experience and life they possibly can through this second chance here in Australia, and this is becoming clear with school results showing us that “Despite these challenges, many refugee children and young people perform remarkably well and have the potential to match the educational achievements of their peers born in Australia.”
Reference list:
Hattam. R and Every. D, 2010, Race, Ethnicity and Education- Teaching in fractured classrooms: refugee education, public culture, community and ethics.
Refugee council of Australia, Refugee, young people and school, http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/f/smt-edu.php
Strengthening Outcomes- Refugee students in Government schools, 2008, ESL Unit Victoria,
School's in for refugees: A whole school guide to refugee readiness, www.foundationhouse.org.au,
Taylor. S & Sidhu R. K (2012) Supporting refugee students in
schools: what constitutes inclusive education?, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16:1,
39-56, DOI: 10.1080/13603110903560085,
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