Australia Awards 2010 Update

Introduction

Australia recognises the immense benefits of educational opportunity, and strongly supports scholarships as part of our contribution to global cooperation, development, research and innovation. Inspired by the successful Colombo Plan which ran for over thirty years and provided both personal opportunity and economic development through international scholarships, Australia, through the Australia Awards, aims to consolidate the major Australian international scholarship programs — the Development and Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships — under a single recognisable brand and program. This will maximise their benefit and support enduring ties between Australia, our neighbours and the global community.

The Australia Awards initiative was announced by the Australian Government in November 2009.

This inaugural Australia Awards Update is the first of annual progress reports on the initiative. The Update provides a snapshot of the 2010 Australia Awards program — the total number of awards, the numbers of recipients from countries and regions, their fields of study, and the total expenditure. It has been prepared by the Australia Awards Secretariat on a whole-of-Government basis in consultation with the two implementing agencies: the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE).

Some award recipients’ stories are also profiled in the following pages to illustrate, in the most direct way, the benefits of such awards to individuals, their communities and to Australia over time.

“Our progress as a regional community and our progress as a global community can be no swifter than our progress in education”.

Then Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, 13 November 2009, announcing the Australia Awards initiative at the National University of Singapore.

The Australia Awards Initiative

At any one time, there are over 5000 scholars and professionals from over 100 countries supported under Australia’s international scholarship programs, undertaking study, research, or professional development in Australia and overseas. Co-ordination and consolidation of the programs under the single banner of the Australia Awards provides greater coherence, maximises their effectiveness, and allows clearer recognition of the Government's significant investment in international scholarships. Equally importantly, over time, this initiative will help Australia build strong and enduring links with a new generation of international leaders of the 21st century.

The Australia Awards initiative reflects the fact that scholarship provision makes a major contribution to Australia's image as a high quality education and training destination, and builds strong and enduring links between Australia, the scholars and their countries.

The Australia Awards bring together two Award programs: AusAID's Development Awards and DIISRTE's Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships.

Development Awards

Development scholarships have been an important component of the Australian Government's overseas aid program since the 1950's, supporting its aim to help developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.

Development Awards aim to foster capacity and leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country, and to build people-to-people linkages at the individual, institutional and country levels.

The focus of these Awards is agreed with partner governments in each developing country. They are awarded through a competitive process to high achieving individuals who are recognized as having the potential to contribute to the development of their home country.

Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships

The Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships is an internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia- Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to undertake study, research and professional development abroad.

The Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships aim to develop ongoing education, research and professional linkages between individuals, organisations and countries, provide opportunities for high achieving individuals to increase their skills and enhance their global awareness, and to contribute to Australia's position as a high quality education and training provider and leader in research and innovation. They also increase Australian productivity through an international study, research or professional development experience.

Australia Awards 2010 Highlights

• 2,924 Australia Awards were offered, with recipients coming from over 100 countries to study in Australia, and Australians taking up Awards in 26 countries — a seven per cent increase, or an additional 220 Australia Awards, since 2009.
• The Government announced in its 2010–11 Budget that Development Awards would double to around 3,800 places annually in 2014.
• 160 additional Development Awards were made in Africa as part of a major increase in development assistance. This will rise to a total of 1,000 Awards per year by 2013. The program will be Australia’s largest single form of assistance in Africa.
• During the year, the reach of the Australia Awards was significantly extended — applicants from the Caribbean, United States, Russian Federation and Burma could apply for the first time in 2010 for Australia Awards.
• The inaugural Anne Wexler Australian-American Studies Scholarships in Public Policy were established and the first round of applications opened. These Awards are funded by DIISRTE and administered by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission.
• The Australia Americas Awards were launched by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Hon Kevin Rudd MP in Santiago, Chile, in December 2010. These awards form part of Australia’s $100 million investment in development assistance to Latin America over the next four years, and include an additional 310 scholarships.
• The partnership between the Australian Government and Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holding Limited was continued for another 10 years to enable the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Research Fellowships to support international education exchange and research links between Australia and Asia. Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited’s contribution of $7.5 million over 10 years will be matched by the Australian Government, providing funding for about 2000 research fellowships and student exchanges for Australian and Asian scholars.

Supporting Australia Awards for Africa

“The Australian Government has committed to expanding Australia Awards in Africa. I support the efforts of the Australian Government fully and enthusiastically.”

2010 Australia Awards: Facts and Figures

During 2010, a total of 2,924 awards were offered internationally. This compares with 2,704 in 2009 and 2,548 in 2008.

The steady increase in the numbers of awards reflects the Government’s view of the relevance and benefits of scholarships to Australia, the region and the global community, and its commitment to increase the opportunities offered through education and professional development. (A description of each award category is at Appendix 1.)

Over 71 per cent of the awards for 2010 were made with the Asian region and nearly 90 per cent with the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

The figures for Australia Awards include the Australian Regional Development Scholarships (ARDS) which provide opportunities for people from Pacific countries to study at selected education institutions within the Pacific but outside Australia. In 2010, 191 ARDS were offered to citizens of Pacific Island nations.

2010 saw the expansion of Australia Awards into new geographic areas. Development Awards to Africa doubled, and eligibility was extended to West African nations. Development Awards were also offered to the Caribbean, Latin America and Burma for the first time in 2010.

Applicants from the Americas and the Russian Federation could apply for Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships from 2010.

Total Awards by geographic region are set out in Table 1 below, while the breakdown for Development and Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships is illustrated in Charts 1 and 2. For a full list of all participating countries within each region, see Appendix 2 of this Update or the Australia Awards website at: www.australiaawards.gov.au.

Chart 1: Development Awards by region

Chart 2: Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships by region

The top ten source countries for Australia Award recipients in 2010 are set out in Table 2 below. Indonesia is the recipient of the largest number of Australia Awards, followed by Vietnam, China and Papua New Guinea, underscoring the importance of our regional neighbours in the Australia Awards initiative.

In 2010, Australian recipients undertook their Awards overseas through the Endeavour program in 26 countries. The 10 countries hosting the largest number of Australian scholars, researchers, or those on professional development are listed in Table 3. They are all in the Asia-Pacific region.

Short and long term awards

The breakdown of Australia Awards in 2010 by long and short-term categories is provided in Table 4. Of the 2,924 Awards, 1,833 (or 63%) were for long term scholarships at the undergraduate and postgraduate level while 1,091 (37%) were for short-term research awards and professional development.

The mix of both long- and short-term courses allows the Australia Awards the flexibility to meet the need for both traditional Masters’ and Doctoral degree courses as well as shorter, sector — or industry-related study, research and professional development experience. Short-term awards are designed to respond to demand for targeted training and in some cases, can reduce the impact on partner countries of long-term absences of key personnel.

Fields of study

In 2010, the largest number of Development Awards was made in the Society and Culture field, which includes political science, law and justice, economics and welfare. Management and Commerce was the next largest grouping, followed by Health and Education. In the Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships, Society and Culture was followed by Agriculture and Environment and then Mixed Field Programmes. Comparative information on each is provided in Charts 3 (Development Awards) and 4 (Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships). The Fields of Study correspond to categories used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics — Australian Standard Classification of Education.

Chart 3: Development Awards by field of study

Chart 4: Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships by field of study

Institutions

Over 100 Australian institutions hosted Australia Awards recipients, and their high standards of education and care are crucial to the ongoing success of the program. Table 5 sets out the 10 institutions hosting the largest number of Award recipients in 2010.

Financial information

A total of $213.9 million was expended in Financial Year 2009/10 for the 2010 rounds of awards. The separate Departmental amounts are set out below.

This compares to a total of $166.2 million in FY 2008/09 (AusAID $145.6 million and DIISRTE $20.6 million). Funding increases were announced in the 2010/11 Federal Budget and will be reported in detail in the Update for 2011.

Total expenditure by region

• # DIISRTE funding incorporates award holder benefits, contractor service fees, promotion and other management costs
• * AusAID funding does not include in-country management costs
• ** Secretariat funding over four years 2010-2013

For further detailed information on each agency’s expenditure, please refer to the AusAID and DIISRTE Annual Reports and other reporting provided on their websites:

• Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, Research and Tertiary Education: www.deewr.gov.au
• Australian Agency for International Development: www.ausaid.gov.au

Alumni

Alumni of Australia Awards form an invaluable bridge between Australia and their home countries and form close and enduring people-to-people links.

One of the key aims of the Australia Awards initiative is to create a strong alumni network. A combined alumni database will provide an avenue for alumni to keep in contact with each other, the implementing agencies (AusAID and DIISRTE) and the Secretariat, as well as facilitating the renewal of those links over time as the next generation of leaders emerges.

Many alumni of the Australia Awards and its predecessors, such as the Australia Scholarships and the Colombo Plan, are making key contributions to their countries and globally in their chosen fields.

Some high-profile awardees include HE Professor Dr Boediono, Vice-President of Indonesia, (Economics, University of Western Australia, 1967 and Masters of Economics, Monash University, 1972); Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Marty Natalagawa, (Doctorate in International Relations, Australian National University, 1993); Mr Muhammad Saidur Rahman, one of Bangladesh’s most influential experts on disaster management (Masters in Disaster Services Administration, Australian Counter Disaster College in Disasters Services Administration,1979); Madam Professor Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health in Vietnam (ALA Fellowship, Australian National Univeristy, 2007); Mr Dashdorj Zorigt, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy in Mongolia, (Australian National University, 1996-98); and Professor David Kavanamur, who led the task force which developed the 2010-2050 National Strategic Vision for PNG (PhD in Management, University of Western Sydney in 2002).

Alumni Profiles

Indonesia: Dr Boediono

Vice-President of Indonesia, Dr Boediono, was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Economics degree by the University of Western Australia (UWA) in March 2011. In his acceptance speech Dr Boediono stated that he earlier came to Australia “under the Australian Government’s Colombo Plan scholarships, a program that in my view has had enduring benefits for the relations between Australia and Indonesia”.

With the support of two Australian Government scholarships, Dr Boediono graduated from UWA with a Bachelor of Economics in 1967, followed by a Masters degree from Monash University in 1972.

Dr Boediono has since become one of Indonesia’s best-known economists. Before his current role, he served as Governor of the Bank of Indonesia, Finance Minister, and as the State Minister of National Planning and Development.

Papua New Guinea: Professor David Kavanamur

Professor David Kavanamur completed a PhD in Management at the University of Western Sydney in 2004 as part of a scholarship provided by AusAID. He is Foundation Professor of Management in the School of Business Administration at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). He has also been the Chair of the Oceania Development Network for several years.

“The professional relationships and experience I gained while undertaking my studies in Australia provided a solid foundation for my leadership role in developing PNG’s 40-year strategic vision: Vision 2050.”

Professor Kavanamur has since published extensively in the area of development. He is contributing in public sector reform, capacity building, strategic planning, rural financing, development and politics in PNG.

Pakistan: Ms Nazia Adeel and Ms Saima Rana

Ms Nazia Adeel is a civil servant from the Auditor General’s Office in Islamabad, on leave to undertake a Masters Degree at the Australian National University. Her qualifications will help her strengthen accounting systems within Pakistan. Building Pakistan’s capacity to better deliver basic services, manage its affairs and encourage economic growth, underpins the development relationship between our two countries.

Namibia: Ms Selma Amwaama

Ms Selma Amwaama, an Australia Awards recipient from Namibia, is undertaking a Masters in Public Health (Nursing) at the University of Western Australia. She has a passion for infant and maternal health and in her home country has worked as a registered nurse and midwife. Her qualifications will enhance her capacity to assist Namibia’s progress towards the Millennium Development Goals by reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

“What I am truly grateful for is the fact that AusAID is willing to invest in the skills of Africans, which in the long run is a sustainable solution to the challenges that many developing countries face”

On returning home, Selma will resume her work in Namibia at the Swakopmund State Hospital.

Iraq: Dr Hilal Wahhab

“The Endeavour Award has given me the opportunity to enrich my scientific research and to make many new friends…. My research work focused on the computational modeling of the architecture and reactivity of biologically interested molecules and numerous organometallic complexes. That is, we were doing chemistry by computer. I gained significant experience and expertise from my collaboration with my Australian colleagues, from which I am confident, will have a profound influence on my research career. The Endeavour Fellowship also opened doors to establishing ongoing links with Australia. I submitted a proposal for a reciprocal cooperation agreement between La Trobe University and University of Technology, Iraq.”

Australia: Patrick Mayoh

Patrick Mayoh applied for the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Award because he saw that it offered him a different academic perspective as well as a way to put his knowledge into practice in a dynamic international context.

From The Australian National University, Mr Mayoh has a Bachelor of Asia-Pacific Studies/Laws majoring in Chinese, Asian Politics and International Law.

The Award enabled Mr Mayoh to study development and international relations in China for one year at Peking University’s College of Social Sciences, Law School and the School of Government. Mr Mayoh said the Award has been an excellent opportunity to build professional and educational linkages in China. To date, some of the highlights of his Award have been speaking with Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, acting as the China Liaison for the Australia-China Youth Association, attending the prestigious Beijing Forum at Peking University, not to mention building a great network of Chinese friends, Endeavour scholars and class-mates from all over the globe. Mr Mayoh is now preparing for his internship and hopes to complete this with the United Nations Development Programme Beijing.

Brazil: Ms Clarissa Gamal

Ms Gamal came to Australia to study at the University of Melbourne for four months. While there, Clarissa took part in a collaborative treatment study of N-acetyl Cysteine (NAC) in the treatment of Bipolar disorder.

Clarissa said

“to have an Endeavour Award is a unique opportunity. My professional relationships and collaboration have been consolidated and my international contacts keep increasing”.

Australia: Dr John Evans

Through his Endeavour Research Fellowship for Indigenous Australians, Dr John Evans undertook Postdoctoral research at Massey University in New Zealand into the coaching techniques used at the elite level of rugby union.

The Endeavour Award enabled Dr Evans to live in New Zealand for six months, collecting data on the coaching practices of New Zealand coaches. The data was then compared with the coaching practices in Australia.

“For me, it was significantly different in terms of culture, especially the culture of the Maori people and the way the South Pacific people have made a contribution to New Zealand.” Dr Evans said the Endeavour Award has made a significant impact on his life for a number of reasons. “I really encourage other people to apply for Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships because they provide you with the opportunity to broaden your abilities, and it’s a way of connecting with another country in terms of research.”

Appendix 1

Summary of Australia Awards categories 2010

Appendix 2