The pioneering educator now manages the Country Universities Centre’s (CUC’s) Mudgee Region facility but not too long ago she was contributing to community development and aid projects in conflict zones around the world.
“My first real qualification after school was a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course, which launched me into teaching English,” said Kim. “Then I trained to become a trainer of English language teachers and wanted to work in the Middle East, but I needed a university qualification for a work visa.”
Kim already had considerable experience working in northern Iraq, opening schools in Afghanistan, and running teacher training programs in Jordan, Israel and Palestine. “I was flying all over the place, working mostly in the Middle East and Asia. I was in Lebanon during the civil war in 1980, in Iraq during the first Gulf War, and in Israel during the time of the First Intifada, which was an intense time.”
But Kim felt she needed to understand more about the culture and history of these places and peoples, and working in Iraq had taught her a valuable lesson.
“We were doing water engineering, distributing food and providing medical care, but I saw that the greatest catalyst for positive social change was education, and particularly the education of women. That became my whole focus.”
Enrolling in the Bachelor of Asian Studies at UNE was a natural progression. “The course had a lot of linguistics and sociolinguistics and anthropology, which was very relevant to what I was doing and living, and which I could immediately apply.”
UNE staff would post textbooks and learning materials around the globe to coincide with Kim’s hectic travel schedule. “I would be collecting the post in Montana or submitting assignments from Israel and once did an exam at the Australian consulate in London. I was in Shanghai and 44 when I graduated. It was just wild, but it worked. The UNE staff were amazing and so supportive; I could not have done it without them.”
Kim Edwards in Saudi Arabia
During her first year in Saudi Arabia, in 2013, Kim taught English at university, before becoming the dean of one of the country’s first women’s vocational training colleges.
“This education was life-changing. You may think it’s about empowerment and independence for women, but education also gave them purpose. Women are great business leaders, and education taught them critical thinking and organisational skills. After English courses, they went on to study business, tourism, hospitality, IT, and got other qualifications. We were training them for jobs two years before there were jobs for women in Saudi. It was a massive cultural shift.”
Kim subsequently coordinated education programs in refugee camps on the Syrian-Lebanon border and became a school principal for a Saudi international school. Brief contracts as a learning and development officer in the Torres Strait and skills advisor in Papua New Guinea, as well as the completion of an MBA, proceeded Kim’s return to Australia.
And in her role today with CUC, where she supports 120 registered students enrolled in a variety of tertiary institutions (25 at UNE), Kim is again reminded of the importance of education.
“I am a very proud alumna, but the qualification was never the desired outcome of education for me. I loved the courses themselves, and some of what I learnt is still embedded in any teaching I do today.
“Having studied by distance, I know exactly what this generation of students are going through and can support them through that lived experience. There’s a lot of counselling in this role; I’m like their cheerleader.
“Here, I see the power of education to change lives and give people opportunities. In Saudi Arabia, I saw how it can change an entire nation.”
