New research shows that young people from African and Arab immigrant families are more likely to go to college than non-immigrants, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Andrew Norton, a Grattan Institute researcher, analyzed the proportion of 18-to 20-year-olds who attended college and classified them in the language they used at home.
Almost all young people who use other languages go to college more than Australians who speak English at home.
Nearly 80 percent of young people who use "East Asia" or "South Asia" languages at home, including Indian and Chinese immigrants, go to college. This proportion does not include international students.
Only 33% of young people who use English at home go to college.
In addition, the study also showed that children from immigrant families had better English in early high school than their classmates.
The findings suggest that immigrant groups that are often publicly criticized for not integrating into Australian society are more likely to go to college than non-immigrants.
Forty-seven percent of those who speak Arab or African languages at home go to college.
These people may have arrived in Australia via immigration or refugee visas, Andrew Norton said.
As far as Sudanese immigrants are concerned, many of them come to Australia as refugees. They went to college more than 30%, close to 40%, and still more than non-immigrant students.
After each census, Andrew analyzes college enrolment data. Coincidentally, his research was completed just last month. At that time, several politicians and commentator were not able to integrate into the society of African immigrants in criticize.
The criticism initially focused on Sudanese refugees, but soon spread to the entire immigrant community. In July, Prime Minister Tan Po said Australia would consider a "value test" for immigrants seeking permanent residence, also in an effort to further strengthen the community.
"one of the reasons for the higher percentage of immigrants going to college is that our immigration programs tend to be more skilled, so people who come to Australia tend to be more educated," Andrew said. They also passed on this educational perspective to the next generation. And those who speak English at home may have lived in Australia for two centuries, in all sorts of circumstances. "
But the proportion of refugees attending college is also high. This may be because immigrants work harder, whether to enrich themselves or their families, or to integrate into society.
Children from immigrant families also perform better at school than non-immigrant children, according to another Grattan Institute survey.
In the early stages of high school, children who spoke other languages at home performed better at reading and writing than those who spoke English at home.
In arithmetic, children from immigrant families tend to take the lead in primary school, and this advantage continues into high school.
School education researcher Julie Sonnemann also believes that the skilled migration program is one of the causes of the phenomenon. Australia is the only country in the world where immigrant students outperform non-immigrant students. Compared with other countries, our skilled immigration program is very unusual. "
