Australia doubles scholarship program

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By Geoffrey Goddard
Volume 31, No. 611
January 23 - 29, 2012

THE calibre of Myanmar nationals selected for post-graduate study in Australia under a scholarship program funded by the Australian government’s international development agency, AusAID, has been particularly impressive, the Australian ambassador, Ms Bronte Moules, said last week.

Assessment panels at the embassy and the feedback from universities in Australia had rated the calibre of the scholarship recipients very highly, Ms Moules, told The Myanmar Times in an interview on January 18.

“They do very well; they are very committed,” she said of the 10 students selected in 2010 for study last year. Another 21 are due to leave for Australia soon.

“It’s a small pool but we can make that generalisation [about their calibre] quite firmly, which is very encouraging,” the ambassador said.

The scholarship program was launched in 2010 after the Australian government decided to expand its development assistance to Myanmar, mainly to help build the capacity of the people as well as institutions, “which had been eroded so much over the years”, Ms Moules said.

Australian assistance to Myanmar through AusAID increased from A$29.1 million (US$30.2 million) in 2009-10 to nearly A$50 million in 2011-2012.

“It was a big increase in the way we engage and try to support development here and part of that was the scholarship program,” Ms Moules said.

An assessment of the initial round of 10 Myanmar who began their studies in Australia last year was “quite positive … and we decided on the basis of that to double it to 21 this year”, she said.

“Building human capacity across the board is a very big challenge; it’s something that we focus on in our [assistance] program and in our discussions with the government, which itself has identified human capacity building as a big priority.”

Of the 10 students – eight women and two men – who left for Australia last year, nine chose to study for master’s degrees in such disciplines as health services management, biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, public policy and pharmacy. Another studied for a PhD in economics.

The 21 Myanmar who begin their studies this year (12 men and nine women) include 19 who will study for master’s degrees in three main areas of study: health, education and agriculture. One will study for a master’s degree in applied science (wildlife biology and management) and two will study for doctorates: in public health and in the environment.

“We prioritise scholarships for areas of study that are consistent with the focus of our aid program, which is health, education and agriculture, but we are reasonably open-minded about it,” said Ms Moules. Applicants whose studies will support capacity building and development, such as the law, have been successful. One of the Myanmar chosen for the second round beginning this year will pursue a master’s degree in applied economics specialising in disaster risk management.

Scholarship recipients have or will study at institutions throughout Australia, including the Australian National University in the federal capital, Canberra, the University of Sydney, Monash University in Melbourne, Curtin University in Perth, and the University of Adelaide.

Mr Michael Hassett, the counsellor for development assistance at the embassy and its senior AusAID representative, said the scholarship program would receive about A$3.5 million this year, or about 7 percent of AusAID’s allocation for Myanmar.

The amount varies according to the number of scholarship recipients who wish to study for a PhD, which is more expensive because it involves a longer period of study, Mr Hassett said.

“We have to balance the numbers between PhDs and masters to get as many through as possible,” he said.

The scholarships cover all costs, including air fares, accommodation, a living allowance and course fees.

“We estimate a master’s at about A$125,000 all up, but it varies because some master’s degrees include research work and study visits,” he said.

Mr Hassett acknowledged that from a development perspective the cost of the scholarships is high. “But the reason Australia provides them is because we know from long experience involved in scholarships that the returns are also very high and the return is not over one or two years, it’s over 10 years and 20 years and 30 years,” he said.

“These people pass on their skills and knowledge,” he said, adding that this was why Australia invested such a large proportion of its overseas aid program in scholarships.

An intangible but invaluable benefit of scholarship programs was the relationships they foster.

“The relationships that we build through the scholarships are beneficial for both countries,” said Mr Hassett.

“We have built some really strong partnerships through these scholarships in the region and that’s really one of the main reasons why we keep supporting them,” he said, adding that apart from scholarships Australia also funds fellowships that allow for short-term exchanges for a few weeks to one year.

Ms Moules said the future size and scope of the AusAID scholarship program would be determined on an annual basis.

“But our early assessments are very positive…we’re very pleased by the way it’s going, so on current indications it will continue to be an important element of our engagement,” she said.

The ambassador said that when the Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, visited Myanmar in the middle of 2011 he reconfirmed Canberra’s commitment to the scholarship program. “It was after that, in fact, that we doubled it,” she said.

“We will keep it under review but would like to think that it will be an important part of our engagement as we move into the future [with Myanmar], as it is with other countries,” Ms Moules said, adding AusAID scholarship programs support more than 5000 scholars and professionals from about 100 countries at any one time.

Successful scholarship recipients are required to return to Myanmar for at least two years after completing their studies.

Students who decide to stay in Australia have to repay the total cost of the scholarship, including the living allowance.

“That’s a very strong incentive to leave Australia, but through our selection process we try to pick people who are passionate about development in this country; we try to identify people who really want to come back and make a difference,” Mr Hassett said.

http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/news/611/news61114.html