Children’s University graduates make their families proud with march along Stirling Terrace

The first Albany children’s university graduating class proudly marched along Stirling Terrace in their caps and gowns on Monday for their graduation ceremony.

Children and their families met staff at the University of WA Albany Campus where they saw a glimpse of university life before walking across the footbridge to Albany Entertainment Centre for the ceremony.

There were 86 children in the class of 2021 who had each completed more than 30 hours of extra-curricular learning at destinations across Albany.

The UWA Children’s University program provides participants with a Passport to Learning which they achieve by completing various educational activities.

Project officer Alex Gerrard said the program was designed to encourage students to adopt a love for learning outside of the classroom.

“Children’s University is all about the community of Albany coming together to support our children through facilitating high quality and engaging extra-circular learning experiences and new opportunities to create a love for learning,” she said. “It’s also about learning through interest because we know we learn better when we are interested.

“So we are wanting those children to discover things that they are interested in and then that drives their passion of learning which we hope continues for life.”

Children enrolled in the program visited learning destinations such as the Museum of the Great Southern and the Albany Public Library.

“I’m proud that some of our school students surpassed 60 hours of extracurricular learning,” Little Grove Primary School principal Darryn Martin said.

“Children’s University has been a springboard for some of our students to discover passions and abilities in areas that may well have been left untapped.”