90 offered Aussie scholarships for 2019 academic year

BY JASON DOM
A TOTAL of 90 Papua New Guineans have been offered Australian Award scholarships for various study programmes starting next year.
This was announced during the PNG Australia Alumni Association dinner on Saturday night in Port Moresby.
Three are for PHD (Doctor of Philosophy) programmes, three for post-graduate studies, 81 for Masters programme and three for Bachelor degree programmes.
Australian High Commission Counsellor for Education Susan Edgecomb said the 90 successful applicants would join the Alumni community.
“You have signed an agreement to return to your home country to apply and work in various sectors in PNG that is crucial and for the prosperity of PNG after your studies,” she said.
Minister for Public Service Elias Kapavore said the country needed human resources in health, education, governance, law and justice, transport and infrastructure.
“In 2016, our human development index was rated 154 out of 188 countries, which is a decline,” he said.
He said K1.4 billion provided through the district service improvement programme in the last couple of years “went down the ditch” because of the lack of responsible leadership and accountability.
“I keep saying one of the quotes that the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare usually addresses: In order for us to be successful, our public service human resource must be well educated, skilled and trained.” For 2019, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade offered 3186 Australia Awards scholarships, fellowships and short courses to over 55 developing countries. Over 86 per cent of Australia awards went to the Indo-Pacific region.