ASEAN-Australia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program

The ASEAN-Australia BRIDGE Program is an initiative of the ASEAN-Australia Centre, implemented by Asialink Education (formerly the Asia Education Foundation) at the University of Melbourne.

The ASEAN-Australia BRIDGE Program 2024-2026 will facilitate people-to-people connections between educators and students across Australia and ASEAN Member States (except Indonesia and Myanmar) and Timor-Leste.

38 schools have already been selected to participate in the first cohort of this program – Read our press release announcing selected schools here.

We now invite schools to submit an expression of interest  to participate in the second cohort and this exclusive opportunity to gain the following benefits:

• people-to-people connections for educators and students in primary and secondary schools
• a chance for educators and students to visit partner schools and learn about their host country
• sustained partnerships between schools that benefit students and educators
• opportunities for students to engage with their peers through interactive forums

• build relationships with peers, learn about social and cultural dynamics and enhance connections across the region.

   

Program outcomes

• Stronger relationships with peers in Australia and throughout Southeast Asia
• Professional opportunities to exchange know-how and good practices between schools
• People-to-people connections for educators and students that add regional contexts to their learning

• A stronger global focus in the learning opportunities offered to your students

   

Participating schools’ involvement

Each school selected to participate in the ASEAN-Australia BRIDGE Program will nominate one representative teacher to:

• participate in eight two-hour virtual professional learning sessions
• share what they have learned during professional learning sessions with other teachers in their school
• coordinate partnership activities between their school and the partner school
• visit their partner school for one week (if possible, during a vacation period)
• host a visiting teacher from their partner school for one week.

Each school will also select a group of 8 students to:

• participate in a series of four virtual forums with students from all participating schools
• work with their peers on project activities for sharing with other schools. 

Testimonials

Here's what participants from the first cohort have said about the program and the school visits so far.

📚 Learning Exchange:

"I have learned and exchanged so many useful teaching experiences with my school partnership. Our discussions and classroom observations have provided me with hands-on teaching techniques that I can apply in my context back in Thailand." - Thai Educator

🌉 Building Bridges:

"We are planning to implement a number of collaborative projects with our partner school in the upcoming school year, including initiatives in reading, writing, and global classroom connections." – Vietnamese Educator

💡 Values:

"We understand that our education systems differ, particularly in terms of the structure and years of schooling, but what has shone through is the shared commitment to impactful, inclusive, and student-focused education." – Australian School Principal

🤝 Strong foundations:

“It was a pleasure hosting Rozel at Clyde Creek Primary School. The experience strengthened our connections and built a great foundation for our engagement plan, future workshops, and reciprocal visit.” – Australian Assistant Principal

🌏 Transformative experience

“It's my first time to travel outside Asia, visiting Australia is transformative for me because it changed the way I see the world and myself. I gained confidence, made new friendships, and learned how to adapt." – Cambodian Educator  

For all enquiries, please email our friendly team at asean-bridge@unimelb.edu.au.