Australian High Commission
Colombo
MEDIA RELEASE
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4 December 2012
Australian High Commissioner congratulates Australia Awards recipients
The Australian High Commissioner, H E Ms Robyn Mudie, hosted a reception in Colombo last evening to congratulate 30 Sri Lankans who have been offered Australia Awards to study at Australian universities in 2013.
“Australia has been a long term partner in supporting Sri Lankans to help achieve the national development goals of Sri Lanka”, said Ms Mudie.
The 30 Australia Awards are valued at approximately AUD 4 million, representing a significant component of the Australian aid program to Sri Lanka.
The Australian Government invests in education as a force for political and economic reform and good governance.
“The Australia Awards are a significant component of this investment. They open up new learning opportunities to Sri Lankans who have the potential to be catalysts for sustainable development. The Australia Awards also foster enduring people-to-people links and partnerships between Australia and Sri Lanka,” said Ms Mudie.
The Chief Guest at the reception was the Honourable Prof G L Peiris, Minister for External Affairs in Sri Lanka. A large number of Australia Awards alumni attended the event.
Ten awardees from the cohort have also been selected for the prestigious Australian Leadership Awards.
“These students were selected for their outstanding potential to influence positive social and economic development in Sri Lanka and the region”, said Ms Mudie.
They will join more than 1100 emerging leaders across Asia and the Pacific who have been conferred Leadership Awards since 2007.
The 30 recipients of Australia Awards will undertake degrees at Australian universities in education, environment, health or governance.
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will invest AUD 350 million globally in Australia Awards in 2012-13, offering over 4,400 new awards to support human resource development in developing countries around the globe, including Sri Lanka.
Further information about AusAID scholarships can be found at http://ausaid.gov.au/australia-awards
Media contact: Edward Archibald +94 77 2243 682