Deakin University says thank you to its agency partners
Deakin University held a function for its agency partners on March 22to show its appreciation, especially for their excellent support during the pandemic.
The evening celebrated Deakin’s efforts during the pandemic, and successes are primarily owing to the hard work and support from its agencies in Sri Lanka.
All agencies, both new and long- standing agents s u ch as Aspirations Education (Pvt) Ltd, IDP Education Lanka (Pvt)
Ltd, Emergence Education , International Scholar, EdukoPathways to name a few, were present at the event.
Representatives from Deakin University led by Mr. John Molony - Pro Vice Chancellor and Vice President, Ms. Bri Gunn- International Manager, and Prof. Colin Higgins, plus staff from Deakin’s Sri Lanka office attended the event.
“This event is an opportunity for the University to say thank you to ouragency partners who embraced our online learning options and continued to recruit students through the pandemic’’ stated Mr. Peter Mayadunne, the Country Director, of the Deakin Sri Lankan office.
The closure of the borders meant the introduction of Deakin’s award- winning CLOUD ( online study option) to prospective students as an alternative to face- toface study. This allowed students to stay on track with their studies and career options. However, as many agents communicated on the day, the overwhelming preference has been and is for on campus learning and this is evidenced by the large number of students who have already travelled to Australia since the relaxation of travel restrictions.
“As an island nation, Australia’s response to the pandemic was somewhat unique and it was challenging for everyone. Deakin identified very early, challenging circumstances faced by our international students and was the first university to commit monies, a sum of 25 million dollars to support our international students. It was important to us, that we looked after these students, and we are sincerely appreciative of this gesture by our Vice Chancellor Prof Ian Martin”.
“Students are now eager to come back to campus. Sri Lankan Airlines kept the Melbourne - Colombo route going which provided students with a convenient travel route. Students did have to wait for the borders to open but were able to make a start via online learning from Sri Lanka” said Mr. John Molony, speaking to us.
Prof. Colin Higgins from the Deakin Business School added “The pandemic was a challenging time for our agency colleagues, and they now have a battle ahead with the current economic crisis. But we will support them,and we are also optimistic the country will be able to bounce back soon.
Deakin welcomes many students from Sri Lanka each year and we are appreciative of the faith they had put in us during the pandemic. While COVD was no doubt terrible for individuals who lost loved ones andhad unimaginable impact on communities and countries in various ways, it also pushed us to see and do things differently. A simple example is our adjustment to the overseas internships. These in the past had always meant one needing to travel abroad. However, by making some adjustments, we were able to do these very effectively via Zoom throughout the pandemic”.
Mr. Ajith Abeysekara, the Chair man of Aspirat i o n s Education (Pvt) Ltd highlighted the trusted and long-standing role they have played in assisting students, including from rural parts of the country.
Mr. Ravi Chandran, the Country Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives of IDP Education Lanka (Pvt) Ltd highlighted the important contribution his organisation had made to Deakin University as well as other institutions in Australia during the pandemic.
It was an enjoyable and productive evening for everyone, an opportunity to catch up with old friends, and develop these connections even further. Above all, it was to say thank you and a job well done!