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Exchange program a first for ACU

Australian Catholic University has welcomed its first education exchange student from India.

Resham George is spending a semester at ACU’s Melbourne campus as part of her Bachelor of Education degree with Christ University in Bengaluru.

“I am thoroughly enjoying studying at ACU,” the 38-year-old said.

“Melbourne is such a diverse place, I love it. People are easy to talk to. I’m enjoying random discussions with people while waiting for a tram or train. But I’m still trying to figure out the rules of football.”

It likely won’t take long for Ms George to grasp the rules of the game given her ability to adapt and think on her feet as shown by her unconventional first foray into teaching.

“I was volunteering at my old secondary school, but the drama teacher left unexpectedly. Suddenly, I became the accidental drama teacher at Kodaikanal International School!” she said with a laugh.

“It was a strange initiation into teaching and definitely an interesting day.”

Ms George had worked in publishing including for HarperCollins in India after graduating with bachelor and master’s degrees in English literature, but she didn’t feel passionate about the industry.

It wasn’t until her volunteering efforts led to her being appointed the drama teacher at her old school that she felt she had found her calling.

During the next few years, Ms George combined her love of travel and her newfound teaching bug with stints teaching English to adults in India, drama to students at the Overseas Chinese Academy of Chiway Suzhou in China, and English and creative writing to students at King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan.

“I love teaching internationally,” Ms George said. “I love to interact with students from so many different backgrounds.”

But she said while she had a resume full of experience and had learned from educators around her, without formal teaching qualifications, her options were becoming increasingly limited.

Knowing she was on the right career path, Ms George enrolled in a teaching degree at Christ University and then jumped at the chance to study a semester abroad at ACU in Victoria where she also has family.

The arrangement is part of a Comparative Education India program run by ACU School of Education senior lecturer Dr Sindu George.

“Exposure is a major asset in life, especially to see what teachers are doing in different contexts,” Ms George said.

“I’ve learned a lot on the job, but I can see how much more I’ve learned while doing this course and even during just a short time at ACU.

“It’s introduced me to more updated approaches and I’ve learned how to better plan and sequence units of work to align with the curriculum.”

As part of her exchange to ACU, Ms George is studying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges, Histories and Cultures, Literacy and Diversity Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment, and Drama's Greatest Hits: Performing Drama History.

“I’ve loved learning about Aboriginal and Torries Strait islander knowledges. It’s like a whole other world,” she said.

“Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices is going to have an impact on my teaching in terms of having a clear idea of how to bring out marginalised voices because disempowered communities are universal.”

Ms George, who, as a fan of the novel and movie Picnic at Hanging Rock, plans to visit Hanging Rock and tourist hot spot the Great Ocean Road while in Victoria, thanked ACU’s Dr George, the coordinator of ACU Global Learning (inbound) Meg Lawrence, and Christ University’s Dr Greta D’Souza, Jolly Joshy and Dennison Joseph for helping to make the exchange a reality.

“So many people have helped me on this journey. I really appreciate it,” she said.

The exchange was financially supported by the Destination Australia Cheung Kong Exchange Program, a joint funding initiative designed to support international education engagement between Australia and specified Asian countries.

As part of the exchange program and funding secured by Dr George, eight ACU education students will also be heading to India for two weeks in November. Resham will join the group as part of the learning for their comparative education unit.

Dr George said such international opportunities offered participating students transformative professional and personal growth.

“By immersing themselves in a different cultural and educational context they gain first-hand insights into diverse teaching methods, curriculum structures, and approaches to inclusion,” she said.

“Exposure to international education systems strengthens their ability to cater to classroom diversity, foster empathy, and draw on cross-cultural stories to enrich teaching and learning.”

Dr George said it was rewarding to help bring the first education exchange student from India to ACU, marking a milestone in the commitment to global engagement and cross-cultural collaboration as well as strengthening the partnership with Christ University.

“It affirms education as a shared human endeavour, highlights teachers as agents of global citizenship, and reinforces ACU’s role as a leader in fostering intercultural understanding through future exchanges,” she said.