Australia is not viewed as a nation that welcomes refugees and asylum seeker. The mandated use of detention centres and branding people arriving by boat as ‘illegals’ have driven our poor international reputation. While successive governments have backed these punitive measures, many within the broader community want things to change.
This is especially the case when it comes to providing equal access to education for young people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Most can only access university by paying international student fees of up to and exceeding $100,000. Many refugees and asylum seekers are on visa classes which mean they are not eligible for HECS-HELP and other government funded support schemes. University study is therefore out of reach for many.
At UTS we want to change this, and make sure that students from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds have a chance to study and succeed at university. Education is still a great equaliser and we know that diversity and excellence go hand in hand. Where there is a lack of institutional support for people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, we see a role for universities to step in, both in offering financial support to access education and in providing the living expense support that will enable students to fulfil their potential and thrive.
While many universities offer scholarships on humanitarian grounds for students on Temporary Protection Visas (TPV) or Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEV), successful transition through university and into the workforce is an ongoing process.
Building on our successful industry mentoring initiative for UTS Humanitarian Scholars, the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion has been piloting an academic complement.
The UTS Humanitarian Academic Mentoring Program supports Humanitarian Scholars – undergraduate students from a refugee or asylum seeker background – by pairing them with a volunteer academic mentor from the student's faculty.
‘Our scholars came to UTS with a breadth and depth of life and educational experiences. Their success in high school or diploma studies, in gaining entry to UTS, is a true testament to their resilience and academic grit,’ says Amanda Moors-Mailei, who manages the Humanitarian Access Program at the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.
‘Despite this, we know that students face multiple barriers even within our own university structures. Mentorship within the program aims to support students to navigate their way through university and at every stage of their student journey – and beyond.’
‘Up until this point, I had been on survival mode. But when I started studying at UTS, that’s when I started living. Because now I’d been given the opportunity to forge and take ownership of my own future,’ said one of the Humanitarian Scholars, who would prefer to remain anonymous.
‘At UTS, I’ve learnt that I am surrounded by amazing community, a community that gives me a sense of belonging, a community … my prayer for the other Humanitarian Scholars is that you invest in yourself and see the value in giving back and building your community the best way you can.’
Mentors' help during the 2020 pilot has already been instrumental in helping the students get through an incredibly challenging year. Through the new initiative, academic staff offer support and guidance to students as they navigate the challenges and complexities of university, and build confidence in their academic abilities. At the same time, the program aims to increase the cultural awareness of academic staff at UTS by providing them with an opportunity to make a real difference in the life of a student from a refugee or asylum seeker background.
‘I have been a mentor before in some capacity – for example to PhD students and junior staff – but this has been a unique experience. Because you're not just academically guiding someone, you're also thinking about their personal circumstances, where someone comes from a community that is more vulnerable than others in society and where they might be fighting disadvantage,’ says Professor Prabhu Sivabalan
‘It has been a learning experience, and also a very comfortable and easy relationship to develop. It's a great program.’
Mentoring is a critical element of the Humanitarian Program.
Want to be an Academic mentor? Fill out our Expression of Interest form.
‘Peer mentoring in the initial weeks for commencing students, academic mentoring to support student identity, goals and success and industry mentoring are all complementary parts to support their study and transition through university and into employment,’ says Amanda.
Making higher education more accessible, inclusive, and fair is the core purpose of the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion. It is our mission to open up access to higher education, for everyone.
Most of the approximately 61,400 people who hold various kinds of temporary visas in Australia continue to face very significant barriers in accessing higher education, and people seeking asylum are among Australia’s most educationally disadvantaged. This can change, and should.
At UTS, we believe that universities exist to serve the public good. The Academic Mentoring Program is a wonderful way for academic staff to further contribute to changing the lives of both individuals and society more broadly.
The Humanitarian Scholarship is made possible through corporate grant to cover the cost of tuition fees. If you would like to support our Humanitarian Scholars to help pay for basic living expenses and essential learning materials, you can make a one-off donation to the Humanitarian Scholarship student fund.