Australian Students Introduce Cricket and Australian Rules Football to SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Denpasar

Students from Southern Christian College in Tasmania arrived in Indonesia yesterday to visit their Indonesian partner school, SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Denpasar, as part of the BRIDGE Australia-Indonesia Schools Partnership program.

The visit is an opportunity for the Australian students to practice their Indonesian language skills in an Indonesian community setting, in support of their school language program. One of the visiting teachers from Southern Christian College, Scott Ambrose, said “The BRIDGE project enables us to re-connect with Indonesia and continue giving our students direct exposure to different cultures to create mutual understanding and respect for difference. We hope to make our visit to Indonesia and particularly our BRIDGE partner school an annual event”.

The group includes two teachers and five high-school students who will visit Bali and Sumba until 3 September 2010. During their visit the Australian teachers and students are keen to introduce Australian sports (cricket and Australian Rules football) to students, as well as be involved in teaching English in the classroom.

“One way to strengthen the Australia-Indonesia relationship is through sport. My students and I are excited to play cricket and (Australian Rules) football with our Australian friends”, said Abdul Hakim, Principal of SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Denpasar.

The BRIDGE project commenced in 2008 and was implemented by the Australia-Indonesia Institute in partnership with the Asia Education Foundation. Funding support has been provided by the Myer Foundation and the Australian aid program.

Until now, 91 teachers from 47 Indonesian schools in 7 provinces have visited Australia under the BRIDGE project as a way of forging ongoing relationships between schools in both countries. The participating Indonesian schools, located in Jakarta, South Sumatra, Bali, East Java, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and West Kalimantan, have included several funded through the Australia-Indonesia Partnership project to build 2000 junior secondary colleges in Indonesia.

Media Enquiries:
Josephine Ratna, BRIDGE Office Indonesia tel. (031) 2981332 Mob. 0811 327812