To Australia, with love

Recently 12 teachers from 12 leading schools in Delhi and Ghaziabad celebrated their return from Australia at a function hosted by the Australian High Commission. The visit was a part of an exchange programme organised by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) with support from Australian Education International (AEI) India and the Australia-India Council (AIC).AEF was established in 1992 as a national organisation to promote the studies of Asia in Australian schools. The AEF is a foundation of the Asialink Centre at the University of Melbourne and Curriculum Corporation funded by the Department of Education, Science and Training, Australia.
The Australian High Commissioner to India, Penny Wensley said: "This annual exchange programme is one of the most popular elements in our vigorous efforts to strengthen the education and training linkages between Australia and India."
According to her, "The teachers clearly enjoy the opportunity to visit Australia and experience first-hand what it has to offer them personally and professionally."
Speaking on the exchange programme, the Counsellor, Education, Science & Training, AEI-International Education Network, Australian High Commission, Quentin Stevenson-Perks said: "These exchange programmes are in their sixth year running and every year a delegation of 10-12 teachers from Delhi and adjoining areas visit Australia and vice versa."
According to the teachers present at the high commission, the visit proved to be an enriching experience. A teacher from St Mary''s School, Madhu Sharma remarked that while looking at the relevance of various educational philosophies, India and Australia had forged strong friendship bonds which had now permeated to the student level. Perks pointed out, "As a part of the mutual-exchange programme, Indian teachers visit Melbourne, Canberra, among other places in Australia; get an overview of the Australian school education system and even teach in those schools."
He remarked that there were many issues of common interest between the Australian and the Indian systems of education, such as both followed a 10+2+3 pattern and further, both followed a system which had its roots in the British system.
On the Australian teachers'' visit Perks elaborated that a delegation would be visiting India in the month of January next year. He added that such mutual-exchange programmes proved to be quite enriching for educators, in so much as it helped them to get an exposure to teaching skills practised in other countries as well as give teachers an overview of each other''s culture and tradition.