The Government of Australia awarded scholarships to 46 Nepalis — 44 Australia Awards Scholarships and two Australia Awards Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships.

The awardees will pursue postgraduate studies in Australia next year.

They were awarded the scholarships amid a ceremony organised in Kathmandu yesterday.

Australia is one of the largest scholarship providers to Nepal. According to a press statement issued by the Australian Embassy, more than 484 development-focused scholarships have been awarded for Nepalis since the 1960s.

The ceremony was presided over by the Australian Ambassador to Nepal Glenn White and Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal Leela Mani Paudyal.

Congratulating the awardees, Ambassador White said, “You join hundreds of Nepali scholarship holders who have studied in Australia over the decades and applied their experience to Nepal’s development. In doing this, you also further strengthen the ties between the two countries.”

He wished the awardees a success in their studies and noted that the scholarships would help strengthen Nepal’s capacity in key sectors such as education, livelihoods, public policy and governance.

After distributing certificates to the awardees, Chief Secretary Paudyal congratulated them. He also expressed gratitude towards Australia for its valuable support and cooperation.

The awardees of this year come from diverse backgrounds and are employed in civil services, development sectors and private enterprises. According to the Australian embassy, 22 of the 46 awardees are women and 10 are public servants. They will pursue studies mostly in development sector for Australia and the Government of Nepal which includes education, livelihood, governance and water resource management.

source: the himalayan times,29 nov 2014