Image: Dr Pep Serow (Education), Roberta Thompson (Education), Dr Peter Lye (Science and Technology) and John McKinnon (UNE International). Professor Natkunam Ketheesan and Dr Mary McMillan from Science and Technology were not available at the time.

UNE has received funding for the New Colombo Plan Mobility Program for 2020 enabling students to undertake overseas studies in three locations. Eight students will each receive $3,00 to study in Tuvalu, Nauru and Malaysia. 

The School of Education received funding for two programs in Tuvalu and  Nauru following an application submitted by Dr Pep Serow and Roberta Thompson.

The UNE Teacher Professional Experience Placement in Tuvalu, 2020, enables UNE secondary pre-service teachers to undertake a four-week professional experience placement (Practicum) in a secondary boarding school on the outer island Vaitupu –  a special experience as this location only infrequently offers opportunities for external professional exchanges.

The project also builds on the existing partnership between UNE and the Department of Education, Tuvalu, where a professional learning program was delivered in 2018. Australian students will gain valuable insights into the Tuvaluan community and culture, teaching in bilingual contexts, innovative resourcing, and an understanding of small remote Pacific Island contexts. Teachers in Tuvalu will engage in two-way mentoring with the mobility students to share their knowledge and expertise. The mobility students will receive additional guidance from the UNE Pacific Education and Development Team and experience partnerships with Pacific communities that are centred on capacity building in education.

The UNE Teacher Professional Experience Placement in Nauru, enables UNE primary and secondary pre-service teachers to undertake a four-week professional experience placement (Practicum) in Nauruan Schools. The project builds on the existing long-term UNE/Nauru Gov/DFAT Australia partnership where a professional and cultural learning exchange has developed through the delivery of on-island quality teacher education. Australian students will gain valuable insights into the Nauruan community and culture, teaching in bilingual contexts, innovative use of learning resources, and an understanding of teaching in Pacific Island contexts. UNE Nauruan graduates, and their colleagues, will engage in two-way mentoring with the mobility students to share their knowledge and expertise. The mobility students will receive additional guidance from the UNE Nauru Teacher Education Project Team, where initiatives are driven by the belief that education is a catalyst for stability, growth, and development, and is a key ingredient to working in partnership with Pacific communities.

The School of Science and Technology team, comprising Professor Natkunam Ketheesan, Dr Peter Lye and Dr Mary McMillan, were also successful in their application for funding for a program in Malaysia. 

The proposed short-term mobility project will enable UNE students from the Physical and Biomedical Sciences an opportunity of a study experience at the University Technology Petronas (UTP) in Perak, and the National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The proposal has the scope to be up scaled both in terms of the number of students participating, initially 8, and in the range of study areas available to UNE students. The proposed program will provide students in both the biomedical and physical sciences the opportunity to experience research and industrial laboratories in a different cultural setting. Selection will be via a competitive selection process, with students drawn to the program from the diverse student cohort that enrol through UNE. Successful students will be offered the opportunity to enhance their work ready skills and international experiences to a prospective employer. The time spent by UNE staff and students in Malaysia will strengthen contacts with UTP and will allow for the development of links with UKM.

UNE  has received funding every year under the New Colombo Plan since it was first introduced as a pilot program in 2014. Over $2.5 million in funding has been received to date. The money has allowed hundreds of UNE students to undertake overseas study programs to destinations in Asia and the Pacific such as Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Maldives, Nauru, Nepal, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Trimester 3 students are also currently studying in-country in Bhutan (Education), China (Law) and for the first time, an Education program in Malaysia. 

More students will leave soon for an Environmental Science Program in Bhutan, a Business/Agriculture program in China a Nursing program to Nepal, and a Social Work program in Vietnam.  These programs can only run successfully because of the huge amount of time, effort and energy given by our academic and administrative staff at UNE.

Contact John McKinnon if you are interested in creating a program for your students to study abroad.

John McKinnon
Study Abroad and Mobility Officer
UNE International