Students and Staff Continue International Collaboration with BG Global India

The study trip, involving students from the Education Studies, Special Educational Needs Disability & Inclusion, Psychology and Sociology courses at BGU, including educational and cultural visits to different educational and religious settings.

As part of this visit BGU students had opportunities to work alongside fellow students from four different Higher Education colleges, exploring and learning about social differences and similarities. These opportunities are supported by the renewing of memorandums of understanding with The Sarah Tucker College and St. John's college.

The study visit organiser, Dr Julia Lindley-Baker (Senior lecturer & Programme Leader SENDI), identified the positive impacts for both students and the University:

“The study visit brought staff and students together, both across the university and across continents. There was an opportunity to learn about education, social and political systems. I feel that such a positive experience will have a long-lasting impact upon students’ appreciation and understanding of different cultures. There are strong intentions to continue with the partnerships made with the colleges and schools through research and educational collaborations.”

The positive impacts of the trip were also highlighted by several of the students, including Annabel Pestel, Education Studies and SENDI student at BGU:

“India 2019 was one of the most memorable trips that I have been part of, I couldn’t pick just one special moment. Exploring the culture was amazing and I particularly enjoyed visiting the churches and temples. I also enjoyed learning about the educational system. Being able to interact with students from Tirunelveli was an experience I’ll always remember.”

The opportunity to forge personal connections with their fellow students was also a highlight for Michaela Hargrave, who is studying Education Studies and Sociology:

“My favourite memory from being in India has to be when we went to the Sarah Tucker College. Myself, Beth and Lucy are a part of dance society when we are at Uni., so we had prepared a performance. It was definitely the best atmosphere while performing in India. Lots of our team got up and danced, as we taught some of the girls who wanted to join in. It was the most energy that I had had whilst being there in the heat and, it was lovely to see how happy everyone was.”

All the staff and students involved hope the trip will help to develop partnerships in research and practice. To find out how you can become a part of those efforts join us on one of our Open Days.

For more information on all the international activities taking place at BGU visit our news page or contact our International Department to find out what exciting opportunities are available to you.