Whose responsibility is equity and social justice within the higher education system?: Reflections on the Australian university sector during the covid-19 pandemic

Whose responsibility is equity and social justice within the higher education system?: Reflections on the Australian university sector during the covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on the delivery and implementation of university courses globally. These impacts have had a disproportionate impact on communities already marginalised, as deep-seeded structural inequalities result in those most vulnerable bearing the brunt of economic, physical, and emotional costs. Against the backdrop of neo-liberalism, the university sector moves to slash operational costs in response to the hypothesised loss in international student revenue. While the international student community suffers increased social vulnerability due to the impacts of Covid-19, market-driven government rhetoric continues to promote the international student ''market'' as a coveted income stream. This creates significant ethical and moral tensions as educators are exposed to the front-line realities of student disadvantage and inequality. By drawing from core social work concepts of social justice and human rights, this critical narrative reflects on the experiences of a social work academic teaching in the Covid-19 education context. It seeks to consider the diverse roles and responsibilities of government, universities and global citizens in response to the ethical conundrum that is the modern Australian higher education sector.

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