Teachers from Australia and India's capital territories have come together to give their students the opportunity to become "global citizens".
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Campbell High School's Debbie Dwyer hosted Mridu Marwah from Delhi's Bal Bharati Public School this month as part of the Australia-India Bridge School Partnerships Project.
Ms Marwah's visit to Canberra followed Ms Dwyer's visit to India in January, as part of a cultural and educational exchange the pair hoped would lead to a lasting relationship between their schools.
She spent time at the school, as well as at a learning program about creativity, design thinking and digital work at the Sydney Opera House last week.
Both said the similarities between the school systems surprised them and helped clear misconceptions.
"The schools were well-equipped and they had just about the same facilities we do, plus the students in India were so respectful," Ms Dwyer said.
"I found the same thing in Canberra; that after I first spoke on assembly, the students were really respectful and welcoming."
After speaking to Campbell High's student representative council, Ms Marwah said she planned to take the democratic model of student representation back to her school.
Ms Dwyer said she was inspired by the weekly yoga classes on the school curriculum at Bal Bharati, designed to help the students de-stress.
"If we teach students how to relax and to cope with stress and anxiety, it will have a good flow on effect to their work," she said.
Ms Marwah said she hoped the schools could continue to collaborate on shared projects, which could eventually lead to student exchanges between the two countries.
A sister school arrangement has also been discussed, with plans under consideration to send a group of teachers to form bonds in India early next year.
"I want to be part of a global village, and learn good practices from other schools, while still nurtured in my own culture," she said.
"We're not here to get rid of the students' own culture, it's just about sharing good practices and each other's culture, while having a sense of global citizenship and empathy for others."
