The 42 professionals from different fields were awarded Australian Development Scholarships by the Philippines-Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF) through its long-term training program.
The five-year, P2.3 billion (60 million Australian dollars) program is an initiative of the Australian Government’s international aid agency, AusAID which operates through its embassy in Manila.
It aims is to assist partner national and local government agencies, academic institutions and private organizations to address key organizational and business needs.
The program also enables them to provide better services and manage their institutions more effectively through short and long-term human resource development programs.
A pre-departure briefing for the new Filipino scholars, some who will be studying in Australia for the first time, was conducted in Davao City.
AusAID First Secretary Louisa Petralia, and Chief of the Public Investment Staff of the National Economic and Development Authority Florante Igtiben, attended the event. Long-term training alumni were also present to share their experiences and give advice to the new scholars. Also in attendance were awardees of AusAID’s scholarship at the University of Wollongong’s Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention.
Led by the development facility’s Senior Human Resource Development Adviser, Mark Flores, the two-day briefing focused on helping the scholars prepare for their training programs in Australia. It included presentations on living and studying in Australia and understanding the conditions and requirements of the scholarships.
Australian Development Scholarships awardees are nominated to pursue post-graduate studies in different priority disciplines including human resource management, public administration, public policy and educational leadership. About 80 Filipino scholars are awarded Australian Development Scholarships annually.
After completing their studies, the returning scholars’ are expected to apply the knowledge and skills they gained from their scholarships to contribute to the organizational change of their respective institutions. In this way, the scholarship program has a larger impact on broader Philippine development.
Australia’s aid to the Philippines focuses on helping the country improve prospects for economic growth, increase access to and quality of basic education, reduce poverty and enhance national stability and security. In its broader aid program, Australia recognizes that human resource development within institutions is critical to the Philippines’ achieving its development goals.
The Philippines currently ranks fourth among the major recipients of Australia’s scholarship program in the Asia–Pacific region. Australia, one of the Philippines’ top bilateral grant aid donors, will contribute about P4 billion (approx 100 million Australian dollars) in aid in 2007-2008.
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