More nuanced and culturally specific ways to engage with diverse refugee background communities are needed in Australia’s university system, according to a study on higher education engagement with refugees in the country.
Using data from the Department of Education and Training’s higher education statistics group, researchers from the University of Melbourne identified 3,506 students from refugee backgrounds currently enrolled in Australian higher education providers.
This is double the number of refugees at Australian universities in 2009, but the level of participation is “still very low”, states the report, which was funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.
“These diverse communities are also positioned differently in regard to their relationship with the university sector”
Analysing this data, the researchers found that while there are common barriers to higher education faced by refugee communities, within this group, “the diverse communities are also positioned differently in regard to their relationship with the university sector”.
For example, university participation among refugee communities from Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma and Bhutan were particularly low.
The majority of students from refugee background are mature students, with almost half over the age of 25, which means they require additional support.
The analysis also revealed a notable gender imbalance in refugee enrolments; in 2014, around 40% of students with a refugee background were female, compared to 55% across the whole sector.
And the proportion of women within some “highly vulnerable refugee background communities” enrolling in higher education is much lower, accounting for only 22.5% of Bhutanese, 28.2% of Afghan and 23.4% of Sudanese refugee background students.
A lack of direct engagement with the groups by the university system contributes to this imbalance, the report argues, calling for further research into the barriers to Australian HE for women and girls.
It also identifies a need for further research into the educational aspirations of specific refugee background communities to inform better targeted programmes and pathways for refugees into university programmes.
While some positive steps have been taken, especially at institutions with a high number of refugee enrolments, in terms of comprehensive policy and programme response to the settlement of humanitarian refugees, the national university system is “not there yet”, the report says.
In terms of comprehensive policy and programme response to the settlement of refugees, the university system is “not there yet”
Looking at where refugee students are enrolled, the research found that when compared with the university population as a whole, they are overrepresented on enabling and non-award courses, and underrepresented in postgraduate study.
They are also underrepresented at Group of Eight universities, and relatively overrepresented at the Innovative Research Universities and unaligned universities.
Some universities have put in place refugee engagement strategies such as English language support or mentoring programmes that have been “crucial in ensuring better access and participation”, the report states.
However, it argues that there is still much to be done to enable increased participation of refugee background students across universities and course types.
The study recommends universities use multilingual materials and community specific workshops, seminars and public events to increase understanding of university processes, requirements and offerings.
And universities should work to identify the geographical distributions of refugee background communities to address cultural nuances, it adds.
Creating closer relationships with refugee communities and implementing community- and university-based mentoring schemes are also among the recommendations.
Through the report, NCSEHE has called for a national set of guidelines and model projects to support universities in their efforts to address the educational needs of refugee background communities.
