Applications for Pacific BRIDGE are currently CLOSED Applications for a new cohort will be posted here when available.
For all other inquiries please contact bridge@asialink.unimeb.edu.au
Announced by the Hon Julie Bishop MP and Senator the Hon Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, in 2018 the BRIDGE School Partnership Program will expand into the Pacific region.
This immersive and blended model of professional learning was designed in-line with the critically acclaimed Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program to support school communities across Australia to establish an international school partnership with a sister school from the Pacific region.
Over the next two years, this pilot chapter will engage schools in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu to connect with a partner school in Australia. The program will support collaboration, intercultural learning and facilitate exchanges between teachers on best practices in education. It will also support increased use of digital technology to link classrooms with resources and information from around the world.
A key focus of the program will also be strengthening links between schools that offer education to students with a disability.
14 school partnerships will be established over the program's two-year pilot period, with one primary and one secondary school partnership per country and at least three schools focussed on students with a disability.
Through pre-departure training, online and face-to-face professional learning in Australia and abroad, educators will:
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Deepen their understanding of global engagement and the skills students will need in the future
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Create opportunities for connecting students globally through classroom learning
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Explore innovative technologies to take learning beyond the four walls of the classroom
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Connect with educators across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region to share innovative classroom practice, including inclusive education.
Pacific BRIDGE will also include a reciprocal visit. Teachers in both countries will visit their partner schools to learn first-hand about each others’ culture, community and education practice.
Language ability is not a requirement to take part in this program, although it can offer added learning outcomes.
Read the media release here.
For any further enquiries about the Australia-Pacific BRIDGE Program, please email
bridge@asialink.unimelb.edu.au or (03) 8344 4800.