90 scholarships available for PNG students to study in Australia in 2020

By NIGEL KAUA | REVIEW

Papua New Guinea – Australia Relationships goes a long way, far more than mere bilateral ties and alliances. They are stories Australians tell about PNG with much passion and love. PNG on the other end has more stories too, when you hear how they first meet – its heart throbbing. In the jungles were mosquitoes are free and no grantee of protection over snake bites and touch climatic conditions did not scare away the sensational encounter between the two, they traveled miles to discover what is now Papua New Guinea.

Australia has been continuously giving support to PNG over the years. At times, PNG referred to Australia as its mother-country.

Today Australia is a close friend of PNG and its support continues. Australia has a heart to give and will continue to give amongst others to its closest and best friend – PNG.

Annually amongst 39 countries that Australia supports with its Australia Award Scholarships, PNG will send 90 students on Australia Award scholarship in 2020. The 90 students will be amongst the 3,000 that Australia gets from the 39 countries globally.

Every year, Australia Award Scholarship receives more than 1,300 applications from PNG students. It’s a competitive scholarship and screening process takes down to 200 for interview. Of the 200 students, they must provide NID card, a compulsory requirement to sit for English Language Competency Tests with provision of birth certificates and academic transcripts certified by a Commissioner of Oaths.

Strong applications have an easy connection between work experiences (a minimum of 2 years), PNG Government Medium Term Development Plan and the potential impact of the course in Papua New Guinea when completing.

For this year 2019 applicants for 2020 intake will apply online, unlike previous applications. The applications are to be submitted via the following OASIS website: https://oasis.dfat.gov.au

It is recommended that applicants must use the following internet browser; Internet Explorer or Firefox and are encouraged not to use Google Chrome.

Application are open on the 01st February, 2019 and closes on the 30th April, 2019. For more information about the Australia Award Scholarships, visit the following website: www.australiaawardspng.org or contact a team member via email at: scholarships@australiaawardspng.org or if you are in Port Moresby then make your way to their office located at Ground Floor , Stage 2, Westpac Building, Waigani Drive.

For the 2020 intake, there are six prioritized sectors and a range of study topics within each. For example, in the Agriculture Sector, a student can choose a study topic in Climate Change.

The six sectors are; agriculture, education, health, governance, law and justice and transport and infrastructure.

Information sessions are scheduled countrywide. Specific dates, venues and locations (provinces) are published in The National and Post Courier newspapers. It starts in Port Moresby on the 01st of February and ending in March 22nd, 2019. Via Garamut News.