WACE of Australia is 1st foreign government-backed board in India
NEW DELHI: After becoming the first country to establish foreign university campuses in India with the entry of University of Wollongong and Deakin University, Australia is now extending its footprint into school education, as Western Australia's WACE has become the first foreign govt-backed school board to begin operations in India, receiving equivalence from the Association of Indian Universities for its Class X and Class XII qualifications.
This is the first such approval for a foreign board in India in 25 years.
WACE, or Western Australian Certificate of Education, is the school-leaving qualification for students in Western Australia, administered by state's School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA). WAIS, or the Western Australian International School System, is the framework through which this curriculum is delivered in international partner schools.
Ange Smith, principal consultant for international education at SCSA, said the board has been running its international education programme since 1987 and began expanding its global presence more actively in 2019. "Since then, we've worked with govt bodies in several countries to secure foreign board equivalence. India has been one of the most rigorous but rewarding. After AIU approval, we focused on identifying partner schools in India," she said.
The board is currently operational in 16 countries.
She said the National Education Policy 2020 played a significant role in shaping their entry strategy. "We undertook curriculum mapping and found alignment with NEP priorities, especially around holistic development, skill integration and nurturing students beyond academics."
Explaining the curriculum structure, Smith said WAIS students take five subjects each in classes XI and XII, with an option to take six.
English is compulsory, but only the top four ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) courses count towards the final university entrance score. "ATAR is based 50% on final exams and 50% on school-assessed coursework. This reduces pressure and supports consistent performance over two years," she said.
In response to a request from Indian partner schools, Smith confirmed that work is underway to introduce a 10th board exam for WAIS students in India.
"Some Indian states may require a 10th board certificate for transitions, so we are developing one specifically for this context," she said.
Syed Sultan Ahmed, chairperson of the Association of International Schools of India, said WAIS offers a balance between accessibility and international standards. "It sits between CBSE and Cambridge. A CBSE school charging Rs 1 - 1.2 lakh annually can adopt WAIS with a 15-20% fee increase.
It opens up global pathways without requiring Rs 45 lakh fees like IB," he said. The first WAIS partner schools in India have been established in Bengaluru and Bidar, both in Karnataka.
Ahmed said the ATAR rank helps WAIS students apply to universities globally without separate entrance exams such as the SAT or JEE. "The ATAR consolidates certification and university eligibility. It's one system for both. Students also become eligible for a Premier's Bursary of AUD 20,000 if they choose to study in Western Australia," he added.
The curriculum incorporates seven general capabilities: literacy, numeracy, ICT, ethical understanding, civic and social responsibility, critical & creative thinking, and intercultural understanding.
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Traditionally, yak churpi is fermented and smoked over several months or even years to develop its characteristic hard texture. Although Arunachal Pradesh is known for yak churpi production, the Siang district, where Tamut hails from, has no native yak population and therefore no tradition of making churpi. Instead, the local community rears free-grazing, semi-domesticated mithuns. Since churpi-making is unfamiliar to them, there is no infrastructure for it in the region. Mithuns are also difficult to milk. So, the National Research Centre on Mithunin Nagaland is stepping in to help the farmers. The first few batches of mithun churpi are being produced in small quantities at their facility using milk from the mithun farm at the institute, with non-traditional methods such as hot air ovens, to support the initial development and testing of the product. Tamut describes mithun churpi as 'milkier' in taste. 'Likely due to its high fat content, the new churpi tastes milkier, and fattier,' he says. 'So far three batches of seven kilos each have been developed and are currently being sold in packs of 200 grams. They are priced at Rs 200 per pack,' says Tamut. He hopes it will be popular once it is fully launched in the market, adding that there is already a demand from retailers in Delhi and Karnataka for the product. The National Research Centre on Mithunin Nagaland is also exploring the possibility of scaling up mithun churpi production, which could bring in lucrative opportunities for mithun farmers in the region. Free-ranging mithun Tamut is a mithun farmer who owns 48 mithuns in his village Jomlu Mongku, in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh. During a conversation with friends from the National Dairy Development Board, Tamut was struck by the idea of mithun churpi. 'Nepal generates millions in revenue from churpi made from cow, buffalo, and yak milk. I realised that we could do the same with mithun milk,' says Tamut, a sociology graduate who has been farming since 2005. According to a report, in the fiscal year 2021-'22, churpi exports from Nepal were valued at approximately $22 million, making it one of the country's top export commodities, apart from tea and carpets. The demand for churpi, particularly as a natural dog chew in international markets, has led to a substantial increase in exports. For instance, in the first four months of the fiscal year 2024-25, Nepal exported 621,747 kg of churpi to the United States, accounting for about 90% of Nepal's churpi exports. 'Traditionally, churpi has been used as a nutrient-dense food by people in the hills. It is valuable because of its long shelf life (around six months) and low moisture content, and it does not require refrigeration,' says Girish Patil, Director of the National Research Centre on Mithunin Nagaland, who has been trying to promote mithun farming as a sustainable source of income for farmers in the state. 'We collaborated with Tamut, who is a progressive farmer and works closely with us. We standardised the product [churpi] in our lab, worked on its production, and conducted sensory evaluations at our institute. The response has been positive, and we are now conducting further analysis,' he says. This is not the first time that a product has been made out of mithun milk. Due to its high protein and fat content, mithun milk can also be used to make other products such as paneer, ghee, curd, and more. The National Research Centre on Mithunin Nagaland had previously experimented with paneer and lassi made out of mithun milk, but are now focussing on developing the mithun churpi. 'Currently, we are producing it (churpi) in small quantities. Since drying reduces the milk volume significantly, only about 20% of the solids remain,' explains Patil. Making churpi requires a substantial amount of raw milk; one litre of milk will give 200-250 grams of churpi. 'A mithun will give around a maximum of two litres per day, but if farmers are able to collect this milk and have a regular source of income from mithun, then commercial mithun farming is possible,' he says. What makes mithun milk special? The mithun, often referred to as 'the cattle of mountains', is an indicator of wealth and social status in the tribal society of Arunachal Pradesh. The larger the herd size, the wealthier and prestigious the owner is considered. It is primarily reared for its meat, considered superior in quality compared to that of other livestock. It was recognised as a food animal by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, from September 1, 2023. The mithun is also listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – the IUCN. According to the 2019 livestock census, the mithun population in India is approximately 390,000. Most of these, 89.7%, are found in Arunachal Pradesh, with 5.98% in Nagaland, 2.36% in Manipur and 1.02% in Mizoram. Reared in community forests under the free-range system, mithuns move and browse around the forest, foraging for shrubs, herbs, and other natural vegetation. They are an efficient converter of forest biomass into fat-rich milk; they can eat plants and vegetation found naturally in forests, which many other dairy animals might not easily digest, and turn that food into milk. It also translates to high quality meat and leather. A study conducted by the National Research Centre on Mithun in Nagaland found that mithun milk was rich in essential amino acids, with glutamic acid, lysine, proline, and isoleucine being the most abundant. In addition, mithun milk was found to have a high concentration of vitamins A, D, and E, as well as calcium; about 7.3% fat, 4% protein, and 5.7% lactose; and also a good amount of solids-not-fat – the nutrients left after removing fat and water. 'As compared to milk from other bovine animals, mithun milk contains higher levels of proteins, fats and essential nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and different vitamins,' says Rounak Chourasia, a research associate at National Agri-Food and Biomanufacturing Institute, in Mohali. Known for his work in developing bioactive peptides-enriched novel soybean churpi cheese, aimed at the socio-economic upliftment of local communities in Sikkim, Chourasia says that fermentation of such a highly nutritious substrate can result in the production of churpi with a high content of bioactive peptides, conjugated linoleic acid, vitamins, and minerals, leading to a novel functional food for the northeastern region of India. 'This vision aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, focusing mainly on SDG 2 (zero hunger), and SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Besides, utilising an unexplored food source in mithun milk can help the socio-economic upliftment of local tribes and communities of the region (SDG 11 – sustainable communities),' he adds. Challenges and possibilities For Patil, the long-term vision is to make mithun milk a commercial production, like other dairy farms. 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