Introducing Shamala Raveendaram and Vanan Murthy
Life and study partners – Shamala and Vanan
Master of Education graduates
Shamala Raveendaran and Vanan Murthy always wanted to study at the University of Melbourne. Impressed by the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s high ranking in education and superior standard of teaching it was an easy choice. ‘Living and studying in the world’s most liveable city was an added bonus’, says Shamala.
After working as a teacher for six years, Shamala wanted to learn more about the macro aspects of education. As a classroom teacher, she was sometimes burdened by the daily struggles of classroom teaching and stepping out to complete a Master of Education was necessary for her to understand the impact of education and its systems.
‘The experience was nothing short of transformative’, declares Shamala. Being introduced to leading ideas in education and given the opportunity to express herself through her assignments, she found her voice through ‘the rich discussions with professors, fellow colleagues and reading extensively’.
Shamala plans to pursue her PhD in Education and is currently working as a Research Associate at the National Institute of Education of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Her areas of interest are social justice and sociology which were shaped by the capstone project she did as a student at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE).
Another highlight of her time at MGSE was being able to share this experience with her husband Vanan. They stayed up together to complete assignments and exchange ideas. However, to ensure that they both had distinct experiences, they took different non-core subjects.
Vanan, who currently teaches English and geography to secondary school students in Singapore, has similar sentiments to Shamala about their Melbourne experience. Apart from the joy of living in what he considers the best city in the world and having a wife as a course-mate, he has gained a wider perspective of the global education landscape and the importance of promoting research in education.
He looks back at his time in Melbourne as one of the best decisions he has made and would happily do it all over again. ‘The [Master of Education] course opens your mind to infinite possibilities in the classroom’, says Vanan.