Melbourne’s Firbank Grammar School partners Ladies’ College to offer VCE

Amila Jayasuriya, Director ALIA, RanmaleeBalasooriya, Vice Principal of Ladies’ College, Paul Stephens,Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Jenny Williams – Principal of Firbank Grammar School, Wendy Grant, Director of International Operations of Firbank Grammar and Sunimal Fernando, Chief Operating Officer of Ladies’ College Institute of Professional Studies at teh launch

A landmark partnership between Firbank Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia, and Ladies’ College Institute of Professional Studies in Colombo was held recently through which Firbank will support Ladies’ College to provide young men and women the opportunity to obtain the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).

Newly designated Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens marked his first official appearance in his new role at this launch.

This partnership will see experienced mentors from Firbank Grammar School working regularly with educators at Ladies’ College to ensure that the VCE programme is delivered in line with the high standards that have earned Firbank its reputation as one of Melbourne’s leading Schools.

Thus, through this partnership, Ladies’ College will allow Sri Lankan students to benefit from Australian education without having to leave the country. Students in the VCE programme at Ladies’ College will share the same experience as students studying the VCE in Melbourne, with access to the same assessments and examinations.

This is the first such partnership of its kind, where an Australian education institution has undertaken a long-term engagement with a local counterpart to consistently maintain and improve educational standards. While teachers will benefit from an evolving and improving curriculum, students gain the advantage of more holistic educational and assessment methods that go far beyond end-of-year exams.

Firbank Grammar School Director of International Operations, Wendy Grant explained that Firbank Grammar School wants all its students, domestic and international, to see themselves as part of the global community.

“When they set their sights on success, they make a difference not only in their own countries, but across the world. The relationships that students develop internationally, we believe, will assist this, and help build a collaborative, cooperative global village into the future.”

“This concept of the global village is an integral part of the vision of Firbank Grammar School, which has extensive experience in international education, and continues to successfully work with ten partner schools in China and Vietnam.”

Wendy also noted that Firbank’s foray into Sri Lanka had long been in the works, with several Sri Lankans having worked with the school in Melbourne, and some of them being Ladies’ College alumni – thus, this partnership was born of the same collaborative culture that it seeks to inculcate in students through its VCE programmes.

The VCE is an internationally recognised senior secondary certificate issued by the Victorian Government that, upon completion, awards students an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) score, which will provide them direct access to universities in Australia as well as around the world.

This will open up opportunities to continue their higher education without the need for additional qualifications such as IELTS, allowing them access to better career pathways in the process.

More information can be obtained from: www.lk.firbank.education