Perlis Primary School Selected for ASEAN-Australia Intercultural Education Programme

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (NNN) -- Students and teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Raja Perempuan Budriah in Perlis are set to benefit from a Malaysia-Australia programme of cultural exchanges, learning, and friendship.

The school has been selected for the 2026-27 ASEAN-Australia Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) School Partnership Programme, and will be paired with Port Lincoln Primary School in South Australia.

The BRIDGE programme connects Australian and Southeast Asian schools, and enables students and educators to foster cross-cultural understanding through joint projects, virtual exchanges, and reciprocal visits by teachers.

The programme has supported 30 Malaysian schools since 2015.

Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Danielle Heinecke said the partnership would lay the foundation for lasting educational ties between the two countries.

“A new chapter of international learning, cultural exchange, and friendship awaits students and teachers at Sekolah Kebangsaan Raja Perempuan Budriah. I have seen firsthand the valuable learning opportunities the programme creates for both students and teachers,” she said, according to a statement by the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

Citing the 2025-26 programme, she said SMK Pulau Ketam in Selangor was paired with Adelaide High School in South Australia, and the two schools collaborated on initiatives such as First Nations storytelling and a digital pen-pal project using Canva which encouraged students to explore culture, identity, and creativity.

Heinecke said students formed friendships with their Australian peers and gained new perspectives, while participating teachers returned with knowledge and skills that benefited their school communities.

Meanwhile, ASEAN-Australia Centre head Fiona Hoggart said the programme represented an investment in the region's shared future by nurturing young people and strengthening people-to-people connections.

“BRIDGE invests in our young people, our future leaders. It builds capability, and the connections students make will empower them to work together to find solutions to our shared challenges,” she said.

The BRIDGE programme has promoted intercultural understanding and educational partnerships to more than 1,200 schools across the Indo-Pacific since its inception in 2008. The programme is delivered by the ASEAN-Australia Centre in partnership with Asialink.

--NNN