African students’ racism claims ignored at school

Racism against students of African descent is rampant in Victorian schools and students say teachers don’t take their claims seriously, a report reveals.

Racism is rife in Victorian schools as teachers ignore most African students’ reports of discrimination.

A new report, released today, revealed that ninety-five per cent of girls and 78 per cent of boys of African descent said they had been discriminated against because of their race, ethnicity or religion.

Ninety-four per cent of female students and 80 per cent of male students said that teachers did not take any action when they reported racist incidents at school.

Almost 70 per cent of students said they did not trust their teachers to address racism.

Most students said black pupils were more heavily supervised and disciplined compared to white students.

Teachers “unfairly” targeted boys for cheating when they performed well in exams and assessments.

The report was conducted by the Ubuntu Project, an organisation that provides support and mentors to multicultural youth in Victoria.

It surveyed about 100 Victorian students of African descent, and called for an independent racism reporting body within the Victorian Department of Education and anti-racism training for teachers.

Students say teachers often did not take action against incidents of racism.

Just six per cent of girls said their teachers took racism seriously.

Ubuntu Project founder Nor Shanino said some racist incidents were particularly “insidious”.

“There is clearly an experience of racism impacting students of African descent, from micro aggressions through to more stark examples,” he said.

“There is some quite insidious stuff going on as well, like encouraging kids of African descent being cajoled or encouraged to leave school, even if they are doing well.”

A Department of Education spokesman said equality was “not negotiable” in schools.

“We will continue to work with community representatives to identify any extra steps needed to eliminate racism from our schools,” he said.

“There are a range of programs and initiatives in Victorian schools to support teachers to address racism, promote racial equity and build student’s knowledge, skills and understanding to engage in respectful relationships.”

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed in June last year that a South African student had been targeted with the N-word at the Knox School in Wantirna South.

The student said senior teachers did not bring any disciplinary action against the students involved.

Claims of racist discrimination against Pacific Islander and African students at Greater Shepparton Secondary College emerged last year.