Western Australian curriculum heads to India

Angelique Smith, Deputy Director – International Education Strategic and External Affairs, SCSA, Department of Education, Western Australia; Denise Eaton, Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade South Asia; Hilary McGeachy, Australian Consul General, Bengaluru; Hominid Ria, Syed Sultan Ahmed, President, TAISI and Pooja Iyer, Director, Trade and Education Investment, South Asia. | Photo Credit: Special Editing

In an indication of the growing demand for international education in India, the Australian curriculum has now made its way into the country. The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) of Western Australia, supported by the Association of International Schools of India (TAISI), will introduce the international curriculum in the country.

The Western Australian curriculum, which has been implemented worldwide for nearly 30 years, is currently being piloted in two schools in Punjab. However, it was officially launched at the TAISI conference themed ‘Shaping Hyper-Connected, Future-oriented Schools’ held in Bengaluru on November 8.

“Education is a pillar of the Australia-India bilateral relationship. The partnership between Western Australia and TAISI will help strengthen these ties, improve understanding between our two countries and provide Indian students with international education that sets them apart,” said Hillary McGeachy, Australian Consul General in Bengaluru.

Australian officials said interactive and engaging classes that provide students with an immersive experience, integration of research, technical innovation and integration that provide them with research and critical thinking skills are some of the unique features of the curriculum.

More specifically, Angelique Smith, Deputy Director of Strategic and External Affairs for International Education, SCSA, Department of Education, Western Australia, spoke about the integration of skills development into the curriculum.

“We actually integrate skills throughout the curriculum. These are known as general skills and are incorporated into all subjects, courses and areas of learning to enable students to become well-rounded, confident contributors to society. Therefore, it is the responsibility of teachers to appropriately integrate these skills into their lessons so that they receive a well-rounded education,” said Ms. Smith.

50% of student evaluations will be done on a school-by-school basis, while the other 50% will be based on external testing. The Australia Department will work with schools over the first two to three years to assist with the adoption of the curriculum with aspects such as new learning and contextualisation of resources.

Unlike already existing international education curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) in India or the Cambridge IGSCE, SCSA is a Western Australian government organisation. TAISI President Syed Sultan Ahmed claimed that this made the curriculum a more affordable option, but no details about the fee were disclosed.

“Technically, this is the first time an international government board is coming here. They have to study the Indian market, hold meetings with schools and then come up with a (fee) range. All I can say is that the fees will definitely be less and more affordable than the existing international schools,” Sultan claimed.

The Western Australian curriculum can be offered by any school on their existing campus. In addition to the two schools where the pilot program is offered, TAISI is working to have at least 10 schools adopt the curriculum in the next academic year.

Interestingly, Ria, an advanced AI humanoid, gave a keynote during the conference on the transformative impact of AI on learning.