The UNESCO has partnered with Australia to support a new national education strategy aimed at addressing rising antisemitism in schools. As part of this initiative, a teacher-training programme is being piloted to help educators respond more effectively to incidents of antisemitism and promote inclusive and respectful school environments.
The programme comes in response to a series of troubling incidents reported in Australian schools over the past two years, ranging from harassment and hateful graffiti to online humiliation and physical assaults targeting Jewish students. These events highlight the urgent need for stronger educational responses to prejudice and discrimination within school communities.
Recent data from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry show a significant rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. In the 12 months leading up to October 2025, there were 1,654 reported anti-Jewish incidents nationwide, nearly five times higher than the average recorded before October 2023. The situation was further intensified by the attack at Bondi Beach in December 2025 during a Hanukkah celebration, which had a profound impact on Jewish students and school communities.
To address these challenges, the project is being implemented with support from the Office of the Special Envoy on Combatting Antisemitism, which is providing funding for the initiative. Over the next two years, UNESCO will work to equip Australian teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to address antisemitism and other forms of intolerance in classrooms.
The six-month professional learning programme will focus on strengthening educators’ understanding of both historical and contemporary antisemitism, encouraging self-reflection on professional responsibilities in human rights contexts, and developing practical teaching strategies for managing sensitive discussions and responding to incidents in schools. Teachers will also learn how to identify antisemitic myths, promote critical media literacy, encourage ethical reasoning, and create inclusive learning environments that support all students.
In addition to teacher training, the programme will provide curriculum-aligned resources integrated into subjects such as history, civics and citizenship, and literature. These resources aim to help students better understand modern antisemitism, build resilience against misinformation, strengthen intercultural understanding, and develop responsible citizenship skills.
The training initiative will be officially launched during a policy dialogue event on the National Approach to Addressing Antisemitism in Australian Schools, scheduled to take place in Australia on 17 March 2026. The national approach is designed as a system-wide framework to improve institutional capacity, boost educator confidence, and enhance student resilience to hate narratives. It will first be piloted in collaboration with the Departments of Education in New South Wales and Victoria before being expanded nationwide.
The strategy aims to help schools develop coordinated prevention and response systems that combine restorative and disciplinary approaches while embedding antisemitism education within broader anti-racism policies and professional practices, ensuring a long-term commitment to safer and more inclusive educational environments.
