Excelsia College, Australia and Mother’s Touch International Academy, Sri Lanka sign MoU for Early Childhood Education pathway for Sri Lankan students
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Peter McKeon, CEO of Excelsia College
Excelsia College in Sydney, Australia and Mother’s Touch International Academy in Sri Lanka have reached a Memorandum of Understanding to offer students of MTIA one year credit into Excelsia’s four-year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program.
The MoU marks a significant step in international educational collaboration between Australia and Sri Lanka in the higher education sector. Such collaborations are a testimony to the high quality of education provided by Sri Lankan education providers. This partnership will assure graduates of Mother’s International Touch Academy successfully completing its Diploma in Childcare Management,direct entry into the second year of the four-year degree in Early Childhood Education offered by Excelsia College.
With almost 200 higher education colleges across Australia alone, making the right choice can be an overwhelming and daunting decision. Thankfully, Excelsia College exists to provide quality higher education courses to hundreds of domestic and international students from across the globe, including students from Sri Lanka. The collaboration reached with Mother’s Touch International Academy in Sri Lanka will further strengthen Excelsia’s engagement in Sri Lanka.
Mother’s Touch International Academy is a pioneer in offering Early Childhood Education qualifications in Sri Lanka. The academy was established over a decade ago, as the founder felt that children and families in Sri Lanka would be better served by a system that blends early childhood education and children’s care. Therefore, we strive to create a community where every child can attend a program that blends both aspects. We plan to achieve this through teaching individuals the skills and knowledge which would be required from them to take the best care of our children!
Bobby Abraham, Chief Admissions, Global Engagement and Partnerships at Excelsia College
Mother’s Touch Academy’s focus is to ignite the passion and deepening the knowledge and skills of Early Childhood Education professionals. Its diploma and certificate courses extend beyond conventional approaches by combining theory and practical placement in a truly global setting, allowing our students to be immersed in best practices from around the world.
Rashmi Kalutota-Brohier, Director, Mother’s Touch International Academy commenting on the collaboration mentioned, “We are now able to offer our students a great pathway to an internationally recognised degree program to fulfil their dream of becoming an Early Childhood Teacher through this collaboration with a highly reputable higher education provider in Australia, Excelsia College”.
Having a strong educational ethos firmly built into its foundations, Excelsia College believes each student who walks through its doors is a unique individual who requires their own tailored approach of care and support to help unlock their full potential and flourish in their chosen profession. With multi-religious prayer rooms and culturally diverse staff, students from all backgrounds are made to feel welcome and included on campus.
Peter McKeon, CEO of Excelsia College, stated in his reference to the collaboration, “This is a much-anticipated collaboration for Excelsia College in Sri Lanka. We have been in the Sri Lankan market for many years and we waited for the best opportunity to engage with a partner in the early childhood education. We are delighted we collaborated with Mother’s Touch International Academy. Excelsia College outperformed most national universities and private higher education providers in Australia in the Y2019 QILT survey. In our journey to achieve greater heights and to continue positioning ourselves as globally competitive, such collaborations are essential. We are delighted to welcome the next batch of graduates from our Sri Lankan partner”.
Bobby Abraham, Chief Admissions, Global Engagement and Partnerships at Excelsia College, who participated virtually in the MoU signing ceremony, mentioned in his statement, “This is a fantastic collaboration for Excelsia College and first of a kind in Sri Lanka. I am delighted to be part of this ceremony to witness the future of an effective student focused collaboration in the early childhood education space. At Excelsia College we are waiting to see graduates from Mother’s Touch International Academy to arrive in the near future to further their educational aspirations”.
MoU signing event
David Samuel, International Marketing Consultant with Excelsia, who represented the College at the signing ceremony stated, “Sri Lanka has been producing great educators who are serving around the world educating students., This collaboration will help build stronger ties between Sri Lanka and Australia in the higher education space. Students who graduate from Excelsia College through this collaboration will be early childhood teachers who will light up the minds of future students with wisdom, knowledge and the art of co-existence”.
Excelsia College is a Higher Education Provider registered with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency(TEQSA), approved to offer FEE-HELP, Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy, and registered to offer courses to international students (CRICOS Provider Code 02664K). Excelsia College is an affiliate of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and a member of the Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA).
Excelsia’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) is designed to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and understanding to provide quality early childhood education and care. The course supports students to build a deep, reflexive understanding of the child, child development, early childhood contexts, educational issues, theories and considerations, and the diverse needs of children, from birth to five years of age. A continuing shortage of well-qualified staff in the early childhood sector is an important motivation for the necessity and provision of this course. The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Degree has been assessed by the Australian Institute of Teachers and School Leaders (AITSL https://www.aitsl.edu.au/) and accredited by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA https://www.acecqa.gov.au/).
Graduates of the degree will have a sound theoretical foundation of the underpinning knowledge and practical skills expected and required of an early childhood educator with a particular focus on:
n Agentic and play-based approaches to early childhood education (Broadhead, Howard and Wood 2010; Fleer 2013).
n Using a range of effective, contemporary educational techniques and strategies to plan, deliver and assess effective learning for a complex and diverse range of children and family populations in a continually changing society.
n Creating a safe and challenging educational environment to facilitate learning and wellbeing.
n Key theorists and theoretical perspectives in the fields of education, in general and early childhood in particular.
n Demonstrating a sound knowledge of the professional behaviour and ethical conduct expected of an educator.
n Meeting the AQF level 7 criteria and ACECQA outcomes.
The course is particularly suited to: Individuals seeking an undergraduate qualification to enter into Early Childhood Education institutes and schools.
In the QILT survey 2019, Excelsia College outperformed most national universities and private higher education providers in Australia. Highlighted below are some of Excelsia’s achievements (undergraduate):
n Student Overall Experience 84.5% compared toNational average of 78.9%
n Skills Development 86.1% compared to National average of 81.3%
n Teaching Practices 91.7% compared to National average of 81.3%
n Interaction with Staff and Students 77.6% compared to National average of 63.4%
n Student Support Services 84.1% compared to National average of 73.7%
Located in Sydney’s Macquarie Park Business District, Australia’s first Community Business Precinct, Excelsia College is positioned perfectly between two major Sydney train stations with regular major bus lines stopping just outside the campus and free onsite parking to all current students. Only 20 minutes travel from Sydney’s world famous Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, incoming international students are treated to a harbour cruise in their first semester, helping them become better acquainted with Australia’s biggest city and its key tourist attractions.
Please browse www.excelsia.edu.au and https://mtia.motherstouchlk.com/for further information and course details.