Australian High Commission
MEDIA RELEASE
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14 December 2011
High Commissioner congratulates “Development Awards” recipients
The Australian High Commissioner, H.E. Ms Kathy Klugman, hosted a reception in Colombo yesterday to congratulate 27 accomplished Sri Lankans who have been awarded Australian Government scholarships to study at Australian universities. The scholars will commence their studies in early 2012 under the Australian Government’s ‘Development Awards’ scheme. The reception was attended by the Minister of External Affairs, Prof G L Peiris, as well as a visiting delegation of the Australian Parliament, Australian scholarship alumni and other distinguished guests.
“Scholarships have been an important part of the Australian Government’s development assistance program to Sri Lanka since the Colombo Plan in the 1950s,” Ms Klugman said.
“I am pleased that these Awards offer recipients the opportunity to study in Australia, and then return home to contribute to Sri Lanka’s national development goals.”
Nine scholars were awarded an Australian Leadership Award (ALA), selected for their potential to influence positive social and economic development in Sri Lanka and the region. These awardees will join almost 1000 emerging leaders across Asia and the Pacific who have been conferred ALA scholarships since 2006.
Eighteen public sector professionals working in the education, environment, health, and governance sectors were awarded an Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) to undertake postgraduate studies. The 27 scholarships were valued at over AUD 4.2 million (LKR 484 million).
“The people-to-people links and partnerships that the Development Awards scheme fosters, often for many years after a student has returned home, is a key benefit of the program,” Ms Klugman said.
The Australian Government has long valued education as a force for political and economic reform and good governance. The Development Awards scheme invests in high-achieving Sri Lankans who can be catalysts for national progress now and in the future.
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will invest AUD 303 million globally in Development Awards scholarships in 2011-12, offering nearly 4000 new awards to support human resource development in partner countries, including Sri Lanka.
Further information about AusAID scholarships can be found at, www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar
Media contact: Vanessa Hegarty 077 870 4762