Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School (P-6) is situated within Holy Trinity Parish, Queenscliff, Victoria. TThe school began teaching Indonesian four years ago. After 2020/COVID, they were looking for ways to boost students’ motivation and connection to Indonesian and in 2021 were parted with MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali.
MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali is a school that was founded in 2018 which had a vision of shaping the nation's character by adopting a learning curriculum from the Indonesia Heritage Foundation (IHF) Depok with the hope that students at this school have good characters who will later become the nation's virtuous successors.
Contents
Introduction
SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College share a lasting partnership that formally began in 2012, building on a long history of cross-cultural exchanges as established sister schools for more than 30 years. Despite changes at both schools over the years, their collaboration has remained strong.
Since joining the BRIDGE Schools Partnership Program, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2012, their connection has only deepened, fostering greater collaboration and exchanges between the schools.
Approach
Data for this case study was collected between October and November 2024. The process began with a review of documentation and discussions with the BRIDGE team about potential candidates and existing evidence.
Data was gathered through online interviews with one BRIDGE teacher from SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and two teachers from Warrnambool College. With the data collected online rather than in person, a limited number of informants were involved. The interview documentation was then analysed using NVivo to identify relevant themes for the case study report.
School profiles
SMA Negeri 3 Yogyakarta is a state high school for students in Years 10 to 12. Established in 1942, it is one of the oldest high schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and is also known as Padmanaba. SMAN 3 Yogyakarta follows the Indonesian national curriculum and provides students with opportunities to engage in global education through international programs and collaborations, such as the BRIDGE Program.
Warrnambool College is a state high school for students in Years 7 to 12, located in the regional town of Warrnambool in south-west Victoria, Australia. As of 2024, it had approximately 1,250 students and over 150 staff. The vision of Warrnambool College is that every student thrives. This embodies the College’s identity, values and mission, and underpins their teaching and learning program.
Partnership history
Before joining the BRIDGE Program, SMA Negeri 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College had already initiated a series of collaborative efforts to facilitate cross-cultural exchanges and enhance educational practices between the two schools. This partnership grew from a shared vision of promoting global understanding, educational improvement, and personal development through international exposure.
The collaboration was supported by government institutions and organisations, such as the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies, which provided key resources and assistance to facilitate exchanges between the two schools. These initial efforts laid a strong foundation for the formal partnership, which was later strengthened and expanded through the BRIDGE Program.
SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College officially started their collaboration through the BRIDGE Program in 2012. During the formal partnership period, the schools have engaged in a range of collaborative activities. The following table outlines key activities:
Year | Activity |
2012 | In 2012, SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College launched their school partnership program. As part of this collaboration, two male teachers from SMAN 3 Yogyakarta participated in a Professional Learning Program, which included a school visit and a homestay experience at Warrnambool College. |
2013-2019 | Between 2013 and 2019, SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College organised exchange visits every two years. Student representatives, accompanied by teachers from each school, took turns visiting one another. These exchanges were designed to foster cultural understanding and provide students with an immersive cultural experience.
SMA Negeri 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College participated in the inaugural Victorian Young Leaders to Indonesia (VYL) program. In September 2019, SMA Negeri 3 Yogyakarta welcomed Australian students who were part of the program. The VYL program ran for the first time in 2019 with several Year 9 students from Warrnambool College selected to participate. |
2019 | The program received support from the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Sultanate to share Indonesian culture – particularly the culture of the Special Region of Yogyakarta – internationally. This support aligned with the key aims of the VYL program: to immerse emerging leaders in Victoria in the diverse cultures of Indonesia.
SMA Negeri 3 Yogyakarta was proud to be one of five schools in the Special Region of Yogyakarta selected to host the program. The school invited students to join its classrooms and participate in a broad range of subjects alongside its students. A highlight of the visit was when the Warrnambool students attended the celebrations for the 77th anniversary of Padmanaba. |
2021 | Noer Indahayati, a BRIDGE educator at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta, was selected to visit Warrnambool College as part of the BRIDGE Program to support and strengthen thepartnership. She was hosted by teacher Rebecca Burchell and her family, visited classrooms, and met with the school's executive team to discuss future opportunities for collaboration. |
2022 | During and after the COVID-19 period, the partnership continued to collaborateDuring and after the COVID-19 period, the partnership continued to collaborateonline on several projects, including:
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2023 |
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2024 | SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College were selected as one of the partnerships to receive the BRIDGE Program Competitive Grant Support. They used the grant funding to support students from SMAN 3 Yogyakarta to create an extensive resource for Warrnambool students to learn about the highlights of their city. The book was published in two languages: Indonesian and English. In the future, this resource may also be used to promote tourism to Yogyakarta. |
Findings
This section presents key outcomes from the partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College, with a focus on lessons learned in maintaining their long-term partnership.
Autonomy in choosing school partnership
The partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College had long been established as sister schools before they joined the BRIDGE Program. One teacher stated: “I was a student at this school at that time, and that sister school was already established.”
Rather than being assigned a partner in Indonesia by the BRIDGE team, Warrnambool College travelled to Yogyakarta to find their partner school more than 30 years ago. According to our interviews with teachers from both schools, honouring and formalising the already established partnership contributed to a more meaningful collaboration between them. As one Australian teacher said:
"So, we had a teacher called Peter Morrison in the mid-90s… He wanted sort of more authentic relationships between schools. And he went over to Indonesia and lived there for six months. And he actually just walked around schools at that time.”
In 2012, the partnership joined the BRIDGE Program and has since received numerous forms of assistance from BRIDGE, including an in-country visit by a SMAN 3 Yogyakarta teacher to Victoria and grant funding. With one of the grants received, the schools collaborated on producing travel promotion books and videos about Indonesia in two languages: Bahasa Indonesia and English.
The teachers have appreciated the continuous support and value from the BRIDGE Program. Without it, they would not have been able to maintain their partnership.
“Well, we just get a lot of opportunities like over the years we've had funding… It enabled our colleagues and students at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta to develop the most amazing book, which is an educational resource that we're going to start using, on attractions, tourist attractions in Yogyakarta. And that's a bilingual book…”
“I mean, the BRIDGE [Program] really allows us to develop those connections earlier on, which is fabulous and that's the game changer…”
This finding contributes to outcomes: 1.3 BRIDGE incentives effectively promote long-term partnerships; and 3.2 Core program activities benefit both Australian and Indonesian partners.
All of school community engaged
The partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College is built by the active BRIDGE teachers from both schools, but also by the involvement of all stakeholders. This includes BRIDGE teachers, non-BRIDGE teachers, and the school principals.
One BRIDGE teacher from Australia mentioned around 20 staff members from Warrnambool College have visited SMAN 3 Yogyakarta. Another teacher added their principal has visited Indonesia several times, indicating a strong commitment to the partnership and cross-cultural engagement.
Our interview with the BRIDGE teacher from Indonesia also shows that non-BRIDGE teachers at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta are actively involved in the BRIDGE activities. For example, upon receiving a grant from the BRIDGE Program, SMAN 3 Yogyakarta established a small team to oversee the implementation of grant activities.
The team not only included the BRIDGE teachers but also non-BRIDGE teachers and the principal to ensure all staff members were informed and involved.
The partnership also engages students from both schools. In addition to online conversations, the relationship between students at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College is maintained through in-country visits. One teacher Warrnambool stated:
“With the exception obviously of COVID-19, most years we have gone to visit our sister school, SMAN 3 Yogyakarta, and quite a few times they've sent students over here as well to come in and visit our students.”
The interaction between students from both countries has resulted in positive outcomes. It has improved their intercultural understanding of peers and friends from their partner countries, as well as their interest in further learning about those countries and the region.
The BRIDGE teacher from Indonesia explained that the opportunity to chat with Australian students has increased Indonesian students' enthusiasm for learning English. A similar situation occurs with Australian students, some of whom even continue learning Indonesian in their further studies.
“Meet Indonesian peers and develop those friendships and then we've had a lot of those students who were unsure of what they wanted to do in the future. And after those study tours, they've gone on to study Indonesian in various capacities at Monash or UniMelb… So, its just been a really successful thing that has really shaped the direction of our program at the school and the futures of a lot of our students.”
This finding contributes to outcomes: 1.3 BRIDGE incentives effectively promote long-term partnerships; and 3.2 Core program activities benefit both Australian and Indonesian partners.
Supportive school leaders, communities, and local policy
The communities at both schools, as well as local education policies, have positively impacted the collaboration between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College. In Indonesia, not only does the principal give permission for the BRIDGE teacher to join BRIDGE activities, but he also ensures the teacher receives support from other teachers.
For example, if the BRIDGE teacher must skip class due to a scheduling conflict with BRIDGE activities, the principal assigns another teacher to cover the class.
In Australia, support from the principal is also significant. The principal at Warrnambool College continues to promote Indonesia through his day-to-day activities. Parents at the school are also interested in Indonesia, which helps to encourage students to take part in the program.
The enthusiasm from the principal and parents have played a key role in the success of the long-term partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College.
“I think one of our big pluses is that Dave, our principle, is very supportive of our Indonesian program… You know, Dave wears Batik most days of the week so that also really helps us. He promotes it heavily… So, immersion, immersion, immersion would be the key to success. I think as many people as possible.”
“We've got quite a few parents that come along and say my daughter and my son is absolutely going on that trip [study trip to Indonesia] because I went on that trip, you know, in the mid-90s or the early 2000s and that changed my life.”
Outside of school, both institutions benefit from local policies that facilitate the BRIDGE partnership across countries. In Victoria, teachers' non-teaching responsibilities are recognised. This policy alleviates teachers' heavy workloads, allowing them to focus on implementing the BRIDGE activities. In both Indonesia and Australia, limited local funding is also available for the BRIDGE schools to run activities that strengthen the partnership.
“We have NTRS, non-teaching responsibilities and one of those roles is acknowledged as Indonesian sister school relationships. Which is just puts us back on the map, and it's acknowledged that that takes time and effort.”
“And he (the student at Warrnambool doing study visit to Indonesia) was funded through an external organization in Warrnambool because of his background, and that was excellent – and that was life changing.”
“Many, many years ago, he (the student at SMAN 3 Yogyakarta) was funded by the President of Indonesia to come to Warrnambool.”
This finding contributes to outcomes: 1.3 BRIDGE incentives effectively promote long-term partnerships; and 3.2 Core program activities benefit both Australian and Indonesian partners.
Continuous communication
Communication is another key factor behind the successful partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College. Although teachers from the schools do not always work together, they are always connected either formally through online meetings or informally through chat messages.
For example, an Indonesian teacher mentioned: “We always try to keep in touch and let our partner know about updates from us. We also usually send greeting message on Eid or Christmas day on WhatsApp.”
The communication between teachers also occurs on social media. One teacher explained that they are connected on Facebook. This provides an opportunity for BRIDGE teachers to observe the lives of their teaching counterparts beyond the school gate. Teachers also feel their relationship is not merely a professional one, but one of friendship.
This finding contributes to outcomes: 1.3 BRIDGE incentives effectively promote long-term partnerships; and 3.2 Core program activities benefit both Australian and Indonesian partners.
Conclusion
The success of the long-term and ongoing partnership between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College is built on: the autonomy to choose a partner school; the involvement of the school community and stakeholders; supportive leadership, communities, and local policies; and continuous communication to deepen relationships.
The partnership of more than 30 years between SMAN 3 Yogyakarta and Warrnambool College has only been strengthened by joining the BRIDGE Program in 2012, with the core activities and incentives effectively promoting long-term partnership, benefiting both schools, their teachers, students and communities.