UNESCO Partners with Australia on New National Education Strategy to Address Antisemitism in Schools

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A new teacher-training programme piloted by UNESCO and Australian partners is part of the country’s coordinated plan to tackle growing antisemitism in schools.

17 March 2026 - Last update: 18 March 2026

A photo circulates in a school group chat: a Jewish student’s face defaced with the words “gas inhaler.” In a classroom, a child casually tells a peer to “die in a gas chamber.” In a bathroom stall, someone has scrawled “Burn the Jews.” In another school, a Jewish student is assaulted, filmed, and humiliated online.

These are examples of real incidents reported in Australian schools in the past two years. Behind each one is a young person learning, or absorbing, messages about prejudice, power and belonging. How schools respond in these moments matters profoundly.

Alarming increase in antisemitism

Recent data from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry reflect an alarming scale of antisemitism across the country: in the 12 months to October 2025 there were 1,654 reported anti-Jewish incidents nationally, which is nearly five times higher than average before October 2023. The incidents were ranging from verbal abuse and threats to arson attacks on Jewish sites.

The December 2025 attack at Bondi Beach, when gunmen murdered 15 people during a Hannukah celebration has further had a profound and unsettling impact on Jewish students and school communities across Australia.

In response to this urgent challenge, the country has planned to develop a coordinated national approach to addressing antisemitism in Australian schools. In this context, a new context-relevant teacher training programme will be piloted to support schools to respond to rising levels of antisemitism, as well as to intolerance and prejudice more broadly. The project is being implemented in partnership with the Office of Special Envoy on Combatting Antisemitism, which is providing funding.

"Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent hatred before it takes root. UNESCO is proud to support Australia’s efforts to equip teachers with the knowledge, critical thinking skills and historical understanding needed to recognize and challenge antisemitism. By strengthening education on antisemitism, we help young people understand the real consequences of prejudice and build more inclusive and resilient societies." 

Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education

Empowering educators

Recognizing that antisemitism has distinct myths, narratives and online pathways that require specialized knowledge and targeted educational responses, over the next two years of the project, UNESCO will empower Australian teachers through different initiatives.

For teachers and school principals, a six-month professional learning programme will strengthen:

• Content knowledge about historical and modern antisemitism.
• Self-reflection and professional responsibility in human rights contexts.
• Practical pedagogical skills to manage sensitive conversations and respond effectively to incidents.

Educators will not only learn to recognize antisemitic myths, but also to teach critical media literacy, foster ethical reasoning and create inclusive school climates.

The programme will also provide curriculum-aligned resources embedded in existing subjects such as history, civics and citizenship, and literature. Students will ultimately gain literacy about contemporary antisemitism, resilience to misinformation, intercultural understanding and the capacity to act as responsible citizens.

"Education is where the work of addressing antisemitism must begin. Our responsibility is not only to respond to incidents, but to build school communities where Jewish students feel safe, visible and respected, and where every student is equipped to stand against antisemitism in all its forms." 

Jillian Segal, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism

A national approach rooted in human rights education

The training programme will officially be launched at a Policy Dialogue event about the National Approach to Addressing Antisemitism in Australian Schools, in Australia on 17 March 2026.

The National Approach is a system-wide initiative designed to strengthen institutional capability, educator confidence and student resilience to hate narratives, piloted first in partnership with the Departments of Education of New South Wales and Victoria before being extended nationally. It equips schools to design coherent prevention and incident-response frameworks, by balancing restorative and disciplinary approaches that are built on UNESCO’s training curriculum on Addressing Antisemitism in Schools. It embeds antisemitism education within anti-racism policies and professional practice for a sustained commitment.