The real impacts of schools and universities sharing their expertise and building education partnerships is changing young lives in Timor-Leste.
For more than a decade, students at Dili International School have completed the internationally-recognised and respected Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), supported by teaching expertise and resources from Haileybury College in Melbourne.
Haileybury is one of Australia’s leading independent schools and provides pro bono mentorship and support to teachers at Dili International School to help them deliver the VCE program. Haileybury supports Dili International School with exam preparation, curriculum and assessment materials, and by providing advice on lesson planning and modern approaches to effective pedagogy.
Building on this education partnership, Charles Darwin University in Australia has announced that, each year, it will provide five scholarships to VCE students graduating from Dili International School.
The scholarship recipients will be able to travel to Charles Darwin University in Australia’s Northern Territory to continue their education and gain an Australian university qualification. The scholarships will be awarded to students who achieve the highest ATAR scores on completion of their VCE studies.
“For many years now, our teachers in Melbourne have been providing one-on-one support to teachers in Timor-Leste who deliver the VCE program. Before the pandemic, our teachers travelled to Timor-Leste to provide that support and in more recent years, we’ve provided that support virtually.”Dr Stephan Muller, Haileybury Deputy Principal (Education Research & International)
“It has been a tremendous privilege to work with the dedicated staff at Dili International School and we are delighted that their hard work, and that of their students, is producing so many students with excellent ATAR scores.
“We are also thrilled that Charles Darwin University has now stepped forward to offer the most deserving and dedicated VCE students at Dili International School these new scholarships and the opportunity to continue their education in Australia.”
Haileybury CEO|Principal, Derek Scott, says the partnership and support provided to Dili International School is mutually rewarding with Haileybury and its teachers keen to share their expertise.
“I look forward to seeing these talented young people graduating in Australia and returning to Timor-Leste with new knowledge and skills that will benefit their communities and country,” says Mr Scott.
Haileybury is keen to continue building new education partnerships, such as that created with Dili International School, with other schools in the Pacific region, and is delighted to begin a senior secondary program at Freedom School, Port Vila, Vanuatu in 2023. Mr Scott believes there is great potential to expand this successful partnership model to benefit other students.
“We want to continue to help to open doors for children and young people who would otherwise not have access to these kinds of educational opportunities,” he says.
For more information please contact:
Dr Stephan Muller, Deputy Principal (Education Research & International)
Stephan.Muller@haileybury.vic.edu.au
+61 429 425 357
