Impact of Racism on International Students in Australian Education

This report investigates the growing issue of racism within the Australian higher education sector, focusing on its impact on international students. It highlights the increasing number of racist incidents, including verbal and physical abuse, and the adverse effects on students' mental and physical well-being. The report examines case studies, government initiatives like the Anti-Racism strategy, and the failures of educational institutions to adequately address the problem. It provides recommendations for policy changes, including stricter penalties, the establishment of dedicated departments to address racism, and increased awareness campaigns. The analysis emphasizes the importance of combating racism to protect international students, improve Australia's global image, and sustain economic growth within the education sector. It highlights the need for immediate action from both the government and educational institutions to create a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.

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HIGHER-EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

Introduction
 In recent times, the racism in Australia has
increased substantially especially in the higher
education sector.
 Many international students have been
assaulted, victimised, and murdered due to
racism which adversely affects the global image
of Australia.
 Media articles have highlighted the issues
relating to the security of foreign students
studying in Australia and the issues face by
them due to racism.

Introduction
 The government has introduced various
regulations and initiatives in order to address the
issues of racism such as Anti-Racism strategy.
 There are various actions which can be taken by
the government and education institutes to
improve the current policies to address the issue
of racism.
 In order to understand this issue, various
newspaper articles and case studies will be
evaluated to understand the issue and
recommendation will be given to address the
issue.

Racism in Higher Education
Sector of Australia
 As per the Department of Education, a combination of
542,054 international students enrolled in the
universities, and private colleges in Australia and this
number has grown by 12 percent than compared to
previous year (Robinson, 2018).
 Although Australia is a popular place for the higher
education of international students, however, this
number can be decreased due to growing racism in
Australia.
 In early 2010, a student from India was murdered in
Australia due to racism which resulted in causing
anguish in Indian media platforms along with bilateral
negotiations between the governments of both
nations.

Racism in Higher Education
Sector of Australia
 The incident highlighted the threat of racism
which intentional students face in Australia which
studying.
 The Indian students are the second largest
number of international students after Chinese,
and these cases result in reducing the number of
students who visit Australia for higher education.
 The reduction in the number of international
students adversely affects the economy of the
country since the educational sectors have a
significant impact on the economy of Australia
since it worth over $20.3 billion (University
Australia, 2016).

Racism in Higher Education
Sector of Australia
 Australia promotes diversity in the society,
therefore, people of different ethnicity, race,
caste, and culture lives in the country.
 In the education sector, the culture is diverse as
well because a large number of students join
Australian university and education institutes to
get higher education.
 As per O’Sullivan (2018(), around 20 percent of
Australians have experienced racism in their
lives in the past 12 months based on the colour,
race, caste or religion.

Racism in Higher Education
Sector of Australia
 In the case of education sectors, students face
racism during their day to day lives in the
campus and outside.
 Most students suffer some form of verbal abuse
during their studies, and many reported
physical abuse based on racism.
 As per the study of Brown and Jones (2013) on
152 international students, 49 had faced verbal
abuse whereas nine students had suffered
physical abuse.

Racism in Higher Education
Sector of Australia
 The educational sector is in the second place
where people face the issue of racism after
workplace in Australia.
 One of the key reason for that is internal
students are viewed as useful for the economy
of the country, therefore, the government has
failed to implement appropriate policies to
avoid racism.
 The educational institutes have also failed to
address the issues of racism in Australia
(Martin, 2018).

Examples and case
studies
 In 2010, an Indian student was murdered in
Australia based on racism (Biswas, 2010).
 The story brought many Indian students
forward who admitted to being abused for
racism.
 The incident shows that the educational
institutes are not taking appropriate steps to
address the issue of racism.

Examples and case
studies
 Another example is the case of Rufaro
Chisango, a black student, who was studying at
Nottingham Trent University.
 Outside his dorm room, students started
chanting “we hate the blacks”.
 Chisango posted a video on the social media
site, Twitter, to show the world the racism which
black people face in Australia in universities
(Salisbury, 2018).

Examples and case
studies
 Telma Rodrigues, a black student at
Bournemouth University, uncovered the racist
comments by posting them on social media
sites.
 Other students wrote “monkey” on her
bananas, and they started chanting “big black
ape” during the school.
 Faramade Ifaturoti reported similar behaviour
on the campus where other students wrote bad
words such as monkey and N-word on her food
and other stuff (Bouattia, 2018).

Examples and case
studies
 In the University of Birmingham, students
spray-painted on the walls with “Islam must
die” slogans.
 Many Islamic students have reported that they
have faced abuse due to their religion on the
campus.
 The university failed to take any actions against
the students who were indulged in these
activities (Bouattia, 2018).