This article from education expert Pasi Sahlberg and economist Trevor Cobbold tackles the issue of public education and social cohesion. They argue that regular, meaningful contact between young people from different backgrounds, that is the common condition of non-selective public schools, reduces prejudice and helps cultivate the habits of respect on which social cohesion depends.
The article begins:
Australia has long been regarded as a successful multicultural society, integrating people from many different social and cultural backgrounds. Now, however, the sense of shared community that underpins this success is showing signs of strain. Racism and cultural intolerance have re-emerged as pressing social concerns.