Peninsula International School Australia (Malaysia Campus) (PISA) offers the prestigious Victorian syllabus which is a gateway into top universities globally, including those in the UK, USA, Canada, and, obviously, Australia. Given that PISA’s curricular is an exact mirror image of that offered by its partner school – Peninsula Grammar (Melbourne); it is no surprise that a number of PISA parents have set Australia as the destination of higher learning for their offspring.
With this in mind, PISA has initiated a student exchange program to offer Year 7 – 9 students the unique experience of spending four days in Melbourne and a further three nights at Peninsula Grammar (Melbourne). According to Gareth Allman, PISA Principal, he believes this trip offers a life-changing opportunity for students to expand their horizons. “We are in a unique position of having a prestigious partner in Melbourne facilitating this student exchange program which will give our students a sample of an Australian education first hand,” he says. “They will have the opportunity to discover and experience numerous facets of Australian life, including its unique climate, culture, and lest we forget, accent!”
The trip is scheduled to take place in Term 1 next year just prior to Ramadhan and will include guided tours to places such as the Old Melbourne Goal, Scienceworks Exhibition and the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground. Allman is keen to highlight the three-day homestay with participating Peninsula Grammar families which will allow PISA students a window into daily Australian life. “Being in a Homestay will allow our students to personally experience the daily routines which many of them will later encounter as university students,” he stresses.
The Student Exchange Program is a two-way arrangement with PISA making arrangements with its own parents to be host families for visiting students from Peninsula Grammar (Melbourne), also scheduled for Term I next year. It is hoped that this aspect of the programme will teach PISA students to be more open and respectful towards cultural diversity, paving the way for them to become better global citizens.
“Travel broadens the mind and we are proud to be able to provide a structured programme aimed at widening perspectives,” says Allman. “This is one of many privileges of being part of the Peninsula network of schools.”
To find out more about PISA, please go to: https://peninsula.edu.my/
