The board running the South Australian Certificate of Education has agreed a deal that with see the qualification delivered in Vietnam’s largest city for the first time.
A partnership agreement with the International School of Business, University of Economics will allow its new Scotch College Australian Grammar School to deliver SACE.
The collaboration with Vietnam’s only fully-fledged Australian school marks the first time the certificate will be offered in Ho Chi Minh City.
“With SACE we offer a world leading Australian education program, and it is the certificate of choice for many students in the region because of its sophisticated assessment model,” SACE Board’s chief executive Martin Westwell said.
“We offer a student-centred qualification that allows them to thrive at university and in life.
“With SACE, students learn how to think and apply their judgement and knowledge to successfully solve complex and unfamiliar situations.”
“The SACE program is innovative and designed with a high level of flexibility to unlock every student’s potential,” added dean of the International School of Business at the University of Economics and chairman of the Scotch College Australian Grammar School, Tran Ha Minh Quan
“This is a great opportunity for our talented Vietnamese students to be nurtured in a thriving academic environment, helping them to pursue their dream journey of getting into top ranking universities around the world.”
Successful completion also gives graduates an “international passport” that opens doors to top universities in Australia, UK, US, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore, the partners noted.
“Engagement in education is arguably our longest and most enduring relationship and will continue to be a cornerstone of our relationship,” Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Robyn Mudie stated.
“The SACE International program provides an important opportunity for young Vietnamese students to access a high-quality Australian pre-university program in Vietnam.”
The partnership is an “exciting development as it will facilitate an international learning environment for Vietnamese students as the world becomes increasingly digital”, Rebecca Ball, senior trade and investment commissioner of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission continued.
“Australia remains a preferred destination for Vietnamese students”
“Australia remains a preferred destination for Vietnamese students and increasing numbers are studying an Australian qualification in Vietnam.”
In the last nine months, SACE has announced initiatives with schools in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and most recently in Taiwan.
Speaking at IHEF 2022 in March, Phil Honeywood of IEAA said, along with problems around reputational damage during Covid-19 and a drop in Chinese student numbers, that Australia is hampered by its lack of matriculation certificates.
The UK, Canada and the US benefit from “incredible growth” in international high schools, he indicated.
“We’re finding now that Australia has half a dozen competing year 11 and 12 matriculation certificates. We don’t have one Australian certificate of education at the high school level,” he said.
“Of the 700 plus international high school in China, only 49 are teaching an Australian state based year 11, year 12 matriculation certificate.
“What that means is that in terms of recruitment advantage, [UK, Canadian and US] universities have a much better pipeline out of international high schools, not just in China, but in Vietnam and other countries in the Indo-Pacific compared to Australia. And that’s got to be a good thing for recruitment for post-secondary studies in the UK going forward.”
Update (9:30am GMT March 24): This article previously incorrectly stated that Ho Chi Minh City is the capital of Vietnam. Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital city.
