Australian curriculum debuts in India

The K-12 curriculum, which emphasises balanced assessment with a 50 per cent school-based evaluation and 50 per cent external exam split, has been piloted in a school in Punjab to adapt it for Indian students

The Australian curriculum plans to debut in India’s school education landscape, with projections to introduce the curriculum in ten schools by the upcoming academic year, according to Syed Sultan Ahmed, Chairperson of TAISI and Founder, Chief Learner at LXL Ideas. The announcement was made during the Association of International Schools of India (TAISI) conference.

“We plan to begin by working with 10 schools and ensure that all our systems and processes are in place before expanding this network,” he noted.

Currently, the program has not been rolled out in any Indian schools, confirmed Angelique Smith, Associate Director, International Education Strategic, External Relations at SCSA, Department of Education, Western Australia. However, the program has been piloted in a school in Punjab to assess what works and what does not for India, she added.

The Australian curriculum, structured in a K-12 format, includes English, mathematics, science, humanities, social science, health and physical education, languages, technology, and the arts. Assessment is split into 50 per cent school-based evaluation and 50 per cent external examination. “This approach ideally ensures that students’ performance in school assessments is consistent with their results in external exams. To support this, we work closely with teachers to help them understand the standards, create appropriate assessments, and allow for differentiation to accommodate a range of student abilities. Our aim is to prepare students not just for exams,” explained Smith.

Furthermore, commenting on the collaboration, Hillary McGeachy, Australian Consul General in Bengaluru, said, “India continues to be the second-largest source of international students in Australia over 1,22,000 students enrolled from January to September 2023, and with this partnership, we see a tremendous opportunity ahead.”