Australia-Thailand school partnerships launched

Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced eight Australian high schools will participate in the Australia-Thailand school partnerships BRIDGE project.

Senator Carr said the Australia-Asia Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) Programmeme establishes cultural exchange partnerships between schools in Australia with those in China, Indonesia, Korea and Thailand.

"School students in Australia are connecting with students across Asia to learn languages and gain knowledge about our respective cultures and they are using the latest digital technology and professional learning tools for teachers," Senator Carr said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

The eight Australian schools to participate in the project are:

- Bundaberg State High, John Paul College (Daisy Hill) and Redcliffe State High School in Queensland

- Doncaster Secondary College, Manor Lakes P-12 College and Wanganui Park Secondary College in Victoria

- Cressy District High School in Tasmania

- Canberra Grammar School in the Australian Capital Territory

- These schools will be partnered with eight Thai high schools.

Senator Carr said participating Thai teachers will travel to Australia for a week in March 2013 to engage with their partner schools and Australian teachers will travel to Thailand in June this year.

"The Australia-Asia BRIDGE school partnerships Programme was featured in the Australia in the Asia Century White Paper as an example of innovative school partnerships," Senator Carr said. "Since 2008, 136 schools across metropolitan and rural Australia have established partnerships with schools in China, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand."

The Thai BRIDGE Programmeme is funded by the Australia -Thailand Institute (ATI) within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by the Asia Education Foundation.