By Brendan Rees
Namaste!
That’s just one of the many Hindi words that students at Rangebank Primary School are mastering – through Skype lessons.
And they got the chance to show the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews just how much they’ve learned.
Mr Andrews visited Bluebells School International in Delhi on Tuesday, 16 January and participated in a school lesson via Skype with Bluebells’ Victorian sister school, Rangebank Primary School in Cranbourne.
Eight students from grades four and five from Rangebank Primary School and three teachers gathered around a computer to take part in the session.
Rangebank Primary School principal Colin Avery said the Skype video lesson was “really rewarding” and could not have gone better.
“We have a video camera set up so our children can see them and vice-versa and the audio is pretty good. This connection was absolutely fine.”
“The children there showed Mr Andrews how to make a particular food; they were showing us through the Skype how to make a dessert,” he said.
“We arranged the Skype and these children had to come back fully dressed in their school uniform during the holidays.”
Mr Avery said his school had been Skyping with Bluebells School for the past four years.
He said he looked forward to creating closer ties with the students in Delhi as well as enhancing the school’s Hindi language program.
“Our school was the first school to teach Hindi in Victoria, in fact Australia as a LOTE language right through the school.”
He said the school conducted Skype sessions once a week with Bluebells and alternated each year with in-person student visits.
Mr Andrews visit to Delhi follows the launch of the Government’s new strategy – Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future.
The strategy is an ambitious blueprint aimed at doubling Victoria’s goods exports to India, attracting more international students and increase tourism, Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews said Victoria was home to the largest number of people with Indian heritage in Australia.
It’s only our right our students understand the significance of Indian culture, and the economic contribution India makes our state.”
“This will give our up and coming young leaders the chance to showcase Victoria’s strengths to other Indian young people, while at the same time immersing themselves in Indian culture and building their leadership skills.”
