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The institutionalised space that is called school is a setting where students are provided with
education and learning experiences every day, in hopes that different areas of study will
provide knowledge and open the door to student’s future career path. The school is the place
where a student’s mind is stimulated and inspired; valuable and well trained teachers guide
and support the student’s learning journey, to ensure they are provided with the best possible
learning experience. Unfortunately, different factors can impact a student’s learning, or lack
thereof. In Greater Western Sydney, there are several factors that can negatively impact a
student’s learning experience. Race and ethnicity in particular, is a controversial topic which
exists in Sydney schools, and creates inequality amongst students from minority
backgrounds. Australia has always been recognised and valued for its diverse and accepting
ways, however this essay will examine the ways in which multicultural diversity is often
rejected in our schools, and the methods and policies that the Australian government have
implemented to ensure that race and ethnic equality is continuously practiced and recognised
by teachers and students in our schools.

Greater Western Sydney has an overwhelmingly multicultural population, with the

Canterbury local government having “signs proclaiming Canterbury as ‘the city of cultural
diversity’”. (Noble, Poynting & Tabar, 1999, pg 32). Additionally, the area has become
tremendously populated by the Lebanese-Australian community, many of who are Muslim.
With such a high density of Arab Muslims, place-based education can be approached in this
context by “providing an innovative model of teacher education that links pre-service
teachers with schools that have high refugee population (Burnett & Lampert, 2011, pg. 447).
Thus, the individual is broadening their scope to schools with not only ethnic plurity, but to
refugees who are most in need of valuable education, however often discriminated due to
cultural and racial biases. Contemporary Australia is a landscape of different ethnic
backgrounds, religions and cultures, however hearing the term ‘Muslim’ usually tends to
raise alarms, even on school grounds. The “criticism of multiculturalism also increased
following 9/11 and the threat of global terrorism associated with the rise of Islamic
fundamentalism” (Mousakim, 2015, 221). In Australia, individuals must have the ability to fit
in, however this notion particularly impacts Muslims, who are especially marginalised, and
already out-casted as the ‘other’ (Dunn, Forest, Lean, 2016).

The Greater Western Sydney area has a high density of ethnic diversity, however ignorance
and inequality continues to take place in our schools. Students from Indigenous or minority
backgrounds with low academic backgrounds generally are deemed as having cognitive and
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behavioural deficit, instead of understanding the wider context of social inequality

(Moustakim, 2015). It is important to recognise the different factors that may be impacting a
child’s retention to learning. For Indigenous Australians, these factors include lack of support
from families, drug and alcohol use and self-esteem issues. However, notably, student’s
disengagement from learning has also been reported to derive from “experiencing
discrimination in schools, ranging from peers, adults and even teachers” (Andrews, Bansel &
Denson, 2012, pg. 227). The highest failure rates exist in Indigenous schools, and only 3
schools run by the Queensland Department of Education have established a concentrated
primary curriculum and literacy and numeracy instruction for this group. (Hughes, 2012).
The issue of Indigenous education disengagement accentuates that this an issue at a macro
level. It concerns teachers astronomically, because the teacher ultimately has the ability to
break the cycle of disengagement and move away from a Eurocentric education system, to a
more shared inclusive approach (Andrews, Bansel, & Denson, 2012). The Aboriginal
Education Policy outlines its commitments to learning the history and experiences of
Aboriginals, delivery of quality education to Aboriginal students, engage and motivate
Aboriginal students for successful participation (Department of Education, 2016). By
providing cultural education for not only students but staff as well, there is more of a sense of
importance and understanding of the needs of Aboriginal students in order for them to
exceed.

A student’s ethnic background is very resourceful in terms of teaching and learning and
should not be overlooked. Educators must open their mind to effective design and quality
education through recognising the “potential influence a student’s cultural and ethnic
background and previous experience has on their understanding of the curriculum content
(Eingana, 2013, pg. 64). Central to the critical race theory, schools are understand as the
place for intercultural relations, thus school are pivotal to the development of multicultural
understanding and respect (Dunn, Forrest & Lean, 2016, pg. 633).. Fairfield High School,
which is recognised for its ethnic diversity, has put into place multicultural education and
anti-racism policies, emphasising on programs facilitated for cross cultural understanding
such as Multicultural Day, refugee project called Our Faces, Our Stories and The Refugee
Transition Program. Furthermore, the school emphasises on Aboriginal Education Policy, by
integrating oral history and its significance. Teachers also attend a course aimed at increasing
engagement and outcome for Aboriginal students (Department of Education, 2015).