When you think of AIEC, you probably think of universities, agents and policy debates — but there’s another powerhouse quietly shaping Australia’s international education story: the schools sector.

In this AIEC warm-up episode, I sit down with Linda Vaughn, long-time international education professional and champion of public schooling, to unpack what’s in store for Schools Day at this year’s Australian International Education Conference in Canberra.

Linda shares how the conference team has listened to the sector’s feedback and responded with a dedicated Wednesday program focused entirely on schools — giving teachers and principals a chance to connect, learn and showcase their impact.

Highlights you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why Wednesday is officially Schools Day at AIEC — and what that means for attendees.

• The new Solutions Room format replacing traditional presentations with interactive problem-solving.

• How independent and government schools are collaborating, not competing, to strengthen outcomes for students.

• The importance of intercultural understanding, language learning and global competence in Australian classrooms.

• Why the school sector’s focus on wellbeing, mental health and student experience mirrors broader trends across higher education.

• Linda’s enthusiasm for the AIEC keynote line-up — including Gill Hicks and Peter Greste — and her hot take on the conference-dinner costume theme.

It’s a lively, thoughtful conversation about the small-but-mighty role schools play in preparing globally aware citizens, and why collaboration across all education sectors matters more than ever.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website.

This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia’s unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email [email protected]