More Australian and Indonesian Schools Connected through BRIDGE

Ten madrasah from Jakarta, Banten and East Java will participate in the 2011 Australia-Indonesia sister school BRIDGE program, bringing the total number of Indonesian schools in the program to 57 across 8 provinces.

An agreement of participation will be signed by the Asia Education Foundation and the Provincial Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Surabaya today and two other agreements with Jakarta and Banten provinces will be signed in the next few weeks.

Twenty madrasah teachers from Indonesia will travel to Australia in March 2011 to build partnerships with Australian schools, improve their English language skills and receive training on incorporating Information and Communication Technology into their teaching.

“This program is a great opportunity for Indonesian and Australian teachers and students to build relationships and share experiences, particularly through Wikispace and an internet based learning environment,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty.

The BRIDGE program (Building Relations through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement) was initiated in 2008 by the Australia-Indonesia Institute and is funded by the Australian Government and the Myer Foundation. The Asia Education Foundation is delivering the program with the support of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

The new schools participating in 2011 from Jakarta include: Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri (MIN) Al Azhar Asyarif, Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri (MTsN) 3 Jakarta and Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 2 Jakarta; from Banten: MIN Cempaka Putih, Min Langon, MTsN Pamulang and MAN Insan Cendekia, and from East Java: MI Miftahul Ulum, Batu-Malang, MTsN 2 Kediri, and MAN 3 Malang.

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Jenny Dee, Counsellor (Public Affairs) tel. (021) 2550 5290 mob. 0811 187 3175