From Tasmania to East Java — an intercultural journey

In 2024 Franklin Primary School was selected for the Australia–Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Programme and matched with SD Islam Kreatif Mutiara Anak Sholeh in Sidoarjo, East Java. That partnership began in earnest in November when two Indonesian educators, Sifa and Vivi, spent a week at Franklin for a school visit and homestay. The exchange was more than a series of events — it was a sustained immersion that brought classrooms, staff and the wider community into conversation.

On arrival, Sifa and Vivi threw themselves into school life. They visited classrooms, met local animals and joined the school’s Remembrance Day ceremony, quickly becoming familiar faces around the campus. Over the week they introduced an original board game, “Camp Operation”, which proved a hit with students and was kindly left with Franklin as a lasting keepsake.

For staff at Franklin Primary School, the visit offered rich professional learning. Teachers compared pedagogical approaches and explored a new Franklin pedagogical framework together. Social moments helped deepen connections too: the guests tried lawn bowls, joined a staff barbecue and dance, and shared plenty of laughter late into the evening.

Cultural exchange took many forms. Sifa and Vivi treated staff to Nasi Goreng for breakfast, supported the school’s breakfast club, and led activities at the Sustainability Centre — shelter building, leaf art and weaving — that linked local practice with Aboriginal cultural learning. They prepared students and staff for batik dyeing, and by the following day the school yard was a patchwork of batik pieces drying in the sun. They also cooked an Indonesian snack, Ote Ote, much to everyone’s delight.

Visitors from partner organisations — including the Asialink Education and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta — joined the school to celebrate the exchange, reinforcing the partnership’s broader diplomatic and educational context. Franklin marked the end of the formal visit with small mementos from the Huon Valley and quiet, convivial evenings as friendships formed.

After leaving Franklin, Sifa and Vivi explored more of Tasmania. They walked the Tahune AirWalk, visited Our Mates’ Farm to meet orchards and livestock (and saw a platypus), tasted local fare and enjoyed the views from Mount Wellington. The week closed with a tearful “see you later” at the airport — an ending that felt more like the start of a longer relationship.

The partnership continued to deepen in April 2025 when Franklin’s principal, James Milne, business manager, Ella Heather and classroom teacher Rebecca White travelled to Jakarta for the Indonesia Immersion Program. Their visit included briefings with DFAT and INOVASI at the Australian Embassy, meetings with school leaders and a warm five-day stay at the partner school.

They were welcomed with student and parent performances, sampled traditional batik-making, toured a new junior secondary facility and visited a local public kindergarten. Those experiences offered rich insight into Indonesian school leadership, community engagement and classroom practice.

I am eternally grateful for the most recent experience I have had in Indonesia. To learn about educational reform, process and leadership in another country and share knowledge and understanding of high leverage practices has been one of my greatest highlights in education. Not only this, but to meet so many amazing people, children and leaders has filled my bucket. - James Milne, Principal of Franklin Primary School.

Looking ahead, 2026 brings a new chapter. Franklin, in partnership with Latrobe High School, secured a BRIDGE Collaborative Grant to support ongoing activities: student inquiry projects on climate-responsive design and sustainable materials, virtual exchanges, and reciprocal professional learning visits. Indonesian teachers will visit Tasmania to observe classrooms, co-plan lessons and deepen inclusive practice — practical steps that aim to sustain the partnership long term.

These intercultural experiences give students hands-on understanding of different teaching approaches, broaden global perspectives and build the confidence to engage respectfully across cultures. For Franklin and its partners, the BRIDGE programme has already begun to reshape learning, leadership and community connections — and the journey is only just beginning.