Classrooms with many diverse ethnic backgrounds work. Children have a great propensity to work together, under the correct conditions. However, some of the insane precepts underlying 'Multiculturalism' do not allow worthwhile lessons.
During the race riots, caused in part by a timid ALP administration which was nervous about having to close some of its liquor outlets so close to the holiday season, Middle Eastern peoples were singled out. Lawless drunks were the chief problem, but a local council had asked police not to patrol their beaches. A distant high school with kids of many ethnicities was told not to have a picnic close to the riot scene.
Cars were damaged and police were distant. Middle Eastern peoples blamed.
Meanwhile, at schools, Middle Eastern kids approached their classrooms with more angst than usual. Other kids were put off.
One can only wonder what might have been, had Muslim leaders not been so unrepentant over the issue of terrorism. Or if state leaders had shown the coolness of the then Prime Minister, John Howard, who underplayed what was clearly a result of state mismanagement, and not cultural.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Many Cultured Classrooms Work, Multiculture Doesn't
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Multicultural school life 'valuable'
from news.com.au
PARENTS should be happy for their children to undergo a multicultural experience in NSW public schools, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said.
Ms Gillard was responding to a report that public schools in NSW were suffering "white flight" as Anglo-European students avoided racially diverse institutions.
Ms Gillard, the federal education minister, said parents always had the choice of the best school for their children.
"Part of growing up and part of being an adult in Australia today is you have got to have the ability to mix in multicultural Australia," she told ABC Radio.
"I would have thought that parents would value as part of the education experience, their child being in multicultural Australia, learning about different cultures, learning about diversity because that is the nation they are going to live in."
The 2006 survey conducted by the NSW Secondary Principals' Council found that in some parts of Sydney and NSW the students were avoiding public schools in favour of independent ones.
Fairfax newspapers reported that public schools were being avoided because they were predominantly attended by Lebanese, Muslim, Asian or Aboriginal students.
"This is almost certainly white flight from towns in which the public school's enrolment consists increasingly of indigenous students," the report said.
"The pattern is repeated in the Sydney region. Based on comments from principals, this most likely consists of flight to avoid Islamic students and communities."
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