Kathe Kirby is Executive Director of the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) at AsiaLink at the University of Melbourne, AEF was established by the Australian Government in 1992 to lead, promote and support the studies of Asia and Asian languages in Australian schools and to shape a globally competent school curriculum relevant to Australians- and Australia - in the twenty-first century.

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Kathe has worked in and with China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, The USA and New Zealand.