ICGS Merger
Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia and International Coalition of Girls’ Schools merger becomes effective
- Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia and International Coalition of Girls’ Schools merger becomes effectiveThe merger of AGSA and ICGS is now effective following the favourable vote by Alliance members at the 2023 AGM held on 22 March 2023.
- AGSA will change its name to the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools — Australasia
- The merger creates a global champion of size and scale, with a membership of over 500 girls’ schools
Following member approval to pursue a merger with ICGS at the 2022 AGM, Alliance members voted unanimously in favour of the merger at the 2023 AGM held on 22 March 2023.
Read the full article here
WHY MERGE?
As organisations, the Alliance and ICGS are closely aligned — on mission and purpose; on values and guiding principles, and on the programs and services delivered to members. This alignment paves the way for a successful merger and is an extraordinary strategic opportunity.
- The merger is underpinned by years of successful collaborations including the Global Forum on Girls Education; Global Action Research Collaborative; Global Mentoring Program for Aspiring Leaders; and joint research projects.
- Staff and students of member schools from both organisations have participated in the others in-person and virtual conferences, workshops and professional development.
- The programs and services of both organisations include research resources, advocacy materials, professional development, conferences and events. Some programs are so alike they share common names — podcasts (Educating Girls), online courses (An Introduction to Girls’ Schools).
- Both organisations are dedicated and focus solely on girls’ schools.
- By coming together as a global organisation of girls’ schools, for girls’ schools we will have:
- access to more programming and services — more PD, more global connections, exchanges and networking for the benefit of our students and staff
- a stronger platform from which to advocate the case for girls’ schools.
- the best of both worlds — a strong regional presence and global connections.
WHEN WILL THE MERGER BE COMPLETE?
The merger will be completed in January 2024. Commencing 23 March 2023 we enter a transition period which will allow time to carefully consolidate our operations and programming.
WILL AUSTRALASIAN SCHOOLS HAVE REPRESENTATION ON THE GOVERNING BOARD OF ICGS?
Australasian members will have representation on the governing board of ICGS with strategic and fiduciary voting responsibilities. A Regional Advisory Council will be established in Australasia to provide input and ensure regional differences and issues are accommodated. The Australian company and charity is retained, with a name change to the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools — Australasia, and will be governed by a new constitution, accepted by the members at the 2023 AGM.
The Australasia office and staff are retained and will continue the regional programming and advocacy that members value, including regional conferences, and local networking events. We will work together to determine the new global programs that best fit and are most exciting for the schools in Australasia. Some operations will become centralised and bring economies of scale and efficiency that release funds for more programming and services.
WHAT WILL THE ICGS MEMBERSHIP FEE BE?
The global fee structure takes into account school type, enrolment numbers, tuition-fee, and country. With the objective of making membership accessible to as many girls’ schools globally as possible. It’s likely that many schools will see a reduction in membership fee while have access to greater programming and services.
DO YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have more questions please feel free to email the Alliance at [email protected] and one of our team will get back to you.