This Monday 21 March is Harmony Day; a day dedicated to promoting respect, inclusiveness and tolerance. Harmony Day shares its date with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and shares many of the same goals, but with a specific focus on harmony within the Australian community. Given the focus placed on the role education plays in social harmony, it is an excellent opportunity for schools to demonstrate their commitment to mutual respect amongst the members of their school community.

Purpose of the day

Harmony Day is described on its website as “a day to celebrate Australia’s diversity”, and notes that close to half of all Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. The central message of the day is to communicate that everybody belongs, with a focus on the cultural diversity that exists within Australian society. Although Harmony Day does not fund events, registered events can receive promotional materials.

Promoting tolerance and inclusiveness: the important role of education

One of the core aims of Harmony Day is to promote its goals through education, and so schools are specifically encouraged to participate in Harmony Day activities by organising supporting events. As the event falls on a school day, there is opportunity for every school to celebrate the day in some way, big or small.

Unfortunately, schools are not always environments in which tolerance and mutual respect occur. Recent events have demonstrated that, as in all other areas of society, schools can see incidents of discrimination and vilification. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that an elite Sydney school recently apologised for students who chanted anti-Semitic slurs at a sporting match, with the Principal describing the incident as isolated and based on stupidity and thoughtlessness, as opposed to racial hatred.

This incident demonstrates the importance of education in this area, as students may lack the maturity or life experience to understand the consequences of their words or actions. An event such as Harmony Day can encourage a school to remind students of the importance of inclusiveness, tolerance and respect which can help to ensure that students understand the consequences of their actions.

Inclusiveness is now a legal and regulatory requirement

The important role of schools in promoting inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging is well-established. Across Australia, State and Territory parliaments are working to ensure that organisations, including schools, are not only encouraged to promote these principles, they are also legally required to do so.

We have previously written about the recent legal changes in Victorian schools which require each school to promote the cultural safety of children. See our article: Revolutionary child protection changes: Vic schools required to work towards compliance now.

In addition to complying with seven Standards, schools must also take into consideration three principles as part of their response to each Standard:

• Principle One: promoting the cultural safety of Aboriginal children;
• Principle Two: promoting the cultural safety of children from from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds; and
• Principle Three: promoting the safety of children with a disability.

The National Safe Schools Framework, which is mandated by different State and Territory non-government school registration requirements, also emphasises the importance of creating safe, supportive and respectful learning and teaching communities. The nine elements of the Framework include:

• creating a supportive and connected school culture;
• a focus on student wellbeing and student; and
• partnerships with family and community.

Celebrating Harmony Day is a good way for schools to demonstrate their commitment to and compliance with the safety and wellbeing principles promoted by various national and State or Territory laws and regulations.

Resources and ideas

If your school wishes to celebrate Harmony Day, there is specific information available for schools on the Harmony Day website. This contains ideas for events, resources for students and teachers and the option to register your event.