Launch of ‘Australian Scholarships’ Intake 2008
Speech by
Australian Ambassador, H.E Bill Tweddell
10 April 2007 - Hanoi
- Dr Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training;
- Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
It is my great pleasure to be here today on behalf of the Australian Government to officially announce the launch in Vietnam of the 2008 round of the Australian Scholarships initiative.
Last year, the Australian Government doubled the size of Australian Scholarships offered across the Asia-Pacific region, meaning that 19,000 scholarships will be offered over the 5 years from 2006 to 2010. The Australian Government has committed AUD 1.4 billion (equivalent to VND 17,080 billion) for this program.
This initiative is an important pillar of Australia’s broader goal to double our official development assistance (ODA) globally to around AUD 4 billion annually by 2010.
The Australian Scholarships initiative demonstrates the high value that Australia places on building relationships with Vietnam and other countries in the region, based on mutual understanding, respect and people-to-people linkages informed by education. Australia has one of the leading education and research systems in the world and we consider it important to share this resource within the region.
Australian scholarship programs have a long and distinguished history in Vietnam. We see them as one of the most positive and effective contributions we can make to Vietnam’s national development. We are delighted to note that many former students of Australian educational institutions now occupy important positions in Vietnam and are helping to shape Vietnam’s future. We are also very proud of the fact that Australia is consistently the number-one choice among English-speaking countries for Vietnamese students.
‘Australian Scholarships’ builds on these achievements. The program has five very important aims:
1. To build enduring people-to-people links, particularly among potential future leaders and institutions in Australia and within the region, including an alumni program;
2. To promote reform and improved governance;
3. To build capacity in areas of critical shared interest, such as economic management, trade policy, regional integration and cross-boundary challenges such as pandemics and clean energy;
4. To enhance mutual understanding, knowledge and innovation; and
5. To help address regional skills needs.
‘Australian Scholarships’ brings together under one banner three major Australian scholarship programs: Australian Leadership Awards, Australian Development Scholarships, and Endeavour Scholarships. These programs are managed by Australia’s Overseas Aid Agency, AusAID, and Australia’s Department of Education, Science and Training represented by Australian Education International (AEI) in Vietnam. In this way, ‘Australian Scholarships’ reflects a whole-of-government commitment by Australia to education and training cooperation in Vietnam, as well as the region.
As the Australian Government has recognised this pooling of expertise will lead to better outcomes, we are calling on you to help us identify the best and brightest of Vietnam’s talent. Australian Scholarships target the high achievers in all fields of study and across all groups who contribute to the economic and cultural growth of Vietnam. We need your help to encourage leaders from industry, education, public and community sectors to consider these opportunities seriously. The success of this program and the benefit it can bring to Vietnam rest on our success in ensuring these awards are accessed by the right people.
As you may be aware, many of these awards are determined on a competitive basis across the Asia-Pacific region. In order for Vietnam to win a significant proportion of the awards on offer, the calibre of applicants has to be high. Please let there be no doubt – Australian Scholarships are highly competitive and only very strong candidates will be successful.
As well as academic excellence and an impressive professional record, we are looking for people who are committed to assisting with the continued development of Vietnam and building an enduring relationship with Australia.
Further details will be provided in the presentations from AEI and AusAID which are to follow. However, I strongly encourage interested candidates to visit the Australian Government’s new website www.australianscholarships.gov.au for further information and application details.
In 2007, Australian scholarships were awarded to 240 outstanding Vietnamese students, researchers and professionals in total valued at over 20 million Australian dollars (equivalent to VND 260 billion). It demonstrated a great commitment by Australia to Vietnam to assist its human resources development. I would hope Vietnam is able to achieve as good a result in the current round of Australian Scholarships.
Finally, to all former, current and future students of Australian educational institutions, I would like to congratulate you on your success and look forward to building with you life-long bridges between our countries.
Those who know me well know how passionate I am about developing educational links. And I am particularly proud of the growing number of alumni of Australian educational institutions. These are people who remain lasting sources of advice about Australia long after professional diplomats like me have come and gone. They are, in short, enduring assets in Australia’s important relationship with Vietnam.
Thank you.