Successful school to university pathways for young people of refugee background

Recent figures show that half the world’s refugees are children, with young people now representing more than fifty per cent of victims of global armed conflict and those displaced. Although Australia resettles extremely small numbers of refugees compared to other nations, as the numbers of refugees and displaced persons worldwide continues to rise, the number of refugee background students in Australian classrooms has increased. This is a trend that is beginning to shift the profile of students in Australian universities, with major equity implications for educators and educational systems. However, despite the reality that matters of equity have moved from marginal concerns into key issues for Australian universities, Australia’s educational systems remain characterised as high in quality but low in equity. Indeed it would appear that ‘doing equity’ may be more honoured in the breach than in the reality.