PA/14/14 14 April 2014
Australian school leaders build links with Indian counterparts
Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling today hosted a reception for 10 principals and senior teachers from Australian schools who are visiting India to learn about the local education system and build personal and professional relationships.
They are in India for the Australia-India School Leaders’ Professional Learning Program (SLPL) – a professional exchange initiative pioneered by the Indian and Australian Governments and the Asia Education Foundation
“It is tremendously useful for these teachers to develop an understanding of India and share it with their students back in Australia,” Mr Suckling said.
“Participants will get important perspectives on contemporary India and develop a deeper understanding of current connections between our two countries. This experience offers unique opportunities for building personal and professional relationships across cultures.
“These people to people links are critical to the strong relationship that Australia and India share.”
School leaders will be partnered with an Indian school and participate in a school visit and homestay program.
The participants will each spend four days living and working with an Indian host school.
In addition to the school and homestay, the program includes visits to culturally and socially significant sites in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
The hosting Indian school leader will participate in a reciprocal visit in June 2014. The program in Australia involves workshops on school leadership, models of schooling and management, evaluation and assessment, school visits focussed on innovation and homestay with the Australian school leader.
A highly successful bilateral exchange program, the Australia-India School Leaders’ Professional Learning Program (SLPL) is now in its 16th year. Since its inception in 1998, more than 250 Australian and 190 Indian school principals and teachers have taken part in the program.