DAVAO CITY — Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith has announced that applications are now open for the 2010 Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) – scholarships.
“ALA scholarships is a prestigious program open to current and emerging leaders in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Ambassador Smith.
“An ALA scholarship is a significant opportunity for high achievers in the Philippines to extend their education, strengthen their leadership skills, build networks and develop strategies to address the development challenges we share.”
The ALA is one of the Australian government’s scholarship programs managed by the Australian Agency for International Development, AusAid. Australia provides more than 133 million Australian dollars worth of scholarships annually throughout the world.
The ALA scholarships provide funding for study at Masters and Doctorate levels in Australia’s leading education institutions.
Around 150 scholarships are being offered for students from countries within the region to study at Australian universities in 2010, including candidates from the Philippines. Scholars will be selected on merit from a highly competitive regional pool on the basis of demonstrated leadership qualities and academic achievement.
Study programs must relate to AusAid’s priority areas of focus, which include disability, economic growth, education, environment, food security, gender, governance, health, human rights, infrastructure, regional stability, rural development and water & sanitation.
Students at Australian universities are taught by academics recognized internationally for quality research. Australia’s major universities are consistently ranked among the top 50 in the world by the Times Higher Education London and make major and world-leading contributions to international research projects and initiatives.
Since 2007, 35 Filipinos have been awarded ALA scholarships in various fields including public administration, public policy, environmental and natural resource management, international trade, international law, justice and law enforcement, and disease pandemics.
As well as providing higher education degrees, ALA scholarships also offer scholars the opportunity to participate in a unique Leadership Development Program.
Applications for 2010 ALA Scholarships close on 30 June 2009. For further information visit http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ala.cfm. (AusAid/PIA XI-ETI)
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