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Australia-Malaysia Sister-Schools Pilot Project kicks off with visit to Australia by six Malaysian secondary school teachers
KUALA LUMPUR 14 November 2008 – The Australian High Commissioner, HE Ms Penny Williams, today farewelled six Malaysian secondary school teachers as they embark on a two-week familiarisation trip to Australia to begin the Australia-Malaysia Sister Schools Pilot Project.
The teachers represent six Malaysian schools which will be partnered with six government schools in Victoria, Australia. The teachers depart for their trip on 16 November.
A farewell morning tea, hosted by the High Commissioner, was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, YB Dato’ Razali Ismail, Ministry of Education officials, and the principals of each of the Malaysian schools.
The project, which was announced in July this year by the Prime Ministers of Australia and Malaysia during the Australian Prime Minister’s inaugural visit to Malaysia, is to encourage links between young Malaysians and young Australians and to encourage exchanges between the two countries.
“We are very committed to building relationships at a people-to-people level. This two-way partnership project is about learning and sharing on both sides. The teachers here today will be great ambassadors for Malaysia and will be able to share their culture and experiences with the students and teachers of Victoria. We also look forward to welcoming teachers from Australia to Malaysia in February next year and hope that they too will be able to share a bit of Australian culture with Malaysian students,” said Williams.
During their visit to Australia, the teachers will participate in a series of discussions and presentations on curriculum development and receive an overview of the Victorian Education System before being transferred to their sister schools. Each teacher will spend a week in her sister school, getting to know the Australian teachers and students and exploring ways that the schools can work together.
The teachers will also have the unique opportunity to experience Australian life - they will each stay at the home of an Australian teacher from their sister schools.
The second phase of the project will be a reciprocal visit of Australian teachers to Malaysia. This visit is scheduled for February 2009.
Six government schools in Victoria, Australia, and six Malaysian schools have been selected and paired to advance the project: Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki is partnered with Western Port Secondary College; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (A) Sheikh Abdul Malek is partnered with Wallan Secondary College; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Derma is partnered with Benalla College; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat is partnered with Rosebud Secondary College; Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching is partnered with Peter Lalor Secondary College; and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan USJ 4 is partnered with Eumemmerring College.
The Malaysian Secondary School Teachers are Puan Usha Diane A/P Dennis, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Aminuddin Baki; Puan Mardahana binti Mohd Dahlan, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (A) Sheikh Abdul Malek; Puan Zaniyah binti Ismail, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Derma; Puan Nur Aida binti Ahmad Nazeri, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat; Puan Rabiah binti Hj Ghani, Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching; Puan Adilah binti Adnan, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan USJ 4.
The teachers will be accompanied by a representative from the Ministry of Education: Puan Hanizah binti A Hamid, Residential and Cluster Schools Management Division, Malaysian Ministry of Education.