Racist bullying and discrimination in schools ‘confronting’

One in three students in NSW and Victoria has experienced racist bullying or racial discrimination from classmates, a survey finds.

The study found that six in 10 students had witnessed racism in some form. Picture: istock

A “confronting” study into racism in government schools found that one in three students in NSW and Victoria had experienced racist bullying or racial discrimination from classmates.

The survey of more than 4600 primary and high school students from Year 5 to Year 9 also found just under one-third had experienced racism from wider society, and six in 10 students had witnessed racism in some form.

Students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other ethnic minority backgrounds were found to be at a higher risk of racist bullying, with more than 40 per cent of those surveyed having experienced discrimination from their peers.

The study, led by researchers at ANU and Western Sydney University, also found close to 20 per cent of students with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage reported racial discrimination at the hands of teachers.

Up to 30 per cent of students from Middle Eastern and African backgrounds reported experiencing racist behaviour from their teachers.

Conversely, 78 per cent of students surveyed said they were able to make friends with students from different racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, with most students reporting they felt relatively confident to intervene when other students were being racially bullied.

Associate professor Naomi Priest, a lead researcher on the ANU survey, said the results were “confronting … children need to be safe, secure and happy to learn, grow and thrive”.