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Scholarships are the Australian Government’s flagship investment in Maldives and are designed to build both government and non-government sector capacity in bilaterally agreed sectors and to build people-to-people linkages at the individual, institutional and country levels.
AusAID manages two long-term Development Awards on behalf of the Australian Government: Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) and Australian Leaderships Award (ALA) scholarships. The selection process for ADS and ALA scholarships was consolidated in 2011, with a single application form and common open and closing dates. The process is based on merit, academic achievement and relevance of the proposed study to the development priorities of Maldives
Top ranking applicants in the selection process will be considered for an ALA.
Long term Development Awards are an important component of the Australian Government’s development program in Maldives. They support study at Australian tertiary institutions. The objectives of the awards are to develop the capacity and leadership skills of awardees so they can contribute to development in Maldives, and build people-to-people links at individual, institutional and country levels. Development Awards in Maldives are available to support study at Bachelor and Masters levels.
Applications for the intake commencing academic year 2013
close at 5:00 pm, 30 April 2012
Applications received after this time will not be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to apply online at https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au. For assistance, please contact the South Asia Scholarships Program (SASP) office using the contact details below.
To ensure equity and broad participation, AusAID encourages women, people with a disability, people from ethnic minorities, people living in rural areas and members of socially and/or economically disadvantaged groups to apply.
The priority sectors of study for the Australian Development Awards commencing in 2013 are: - Education;
- Health;
- Environment; and
- Engineering (Civil and Marine Engineering)
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- be at least 18 years old at the time of commencing a scholarship;
- be a citizen of Maldives and be residing and applying for a scholarship from there;
- not have Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent resident status, or be in the process of applying for Australian citizenship;
- not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds or who is eligible to hold Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent resident status;
- not be current serving military personnel;
- not be applying for another long-term AusAID scholarship unless they have returned to Maldives and resided there for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous AusAID scholar who has been on AusAID scholarship/s in Australia for four years will not be eligible to apply for another AusAID scholarship until they have been home for eight years);
- not hold or have held an Australian Government-funded scholarship (e.g. Endeavour Award) in the preceding two years, at the time of application;
- not have held a foreign scholarship in the 24 months preceding application;
- not have obtained an academic qualification outside Maldives in the 24 months preceding the application closing date, calculated from the date of arrival back in the home country;
- satisfy any specific criteria established by the Government of Maldives;
- satisfy admission requirements of the university at which the Development Award is to be taken (this may mean a scholarship offer may be withdrawn if the recipient cannot satisfy a university's admission requirements. This may not be known until placements are requested at selected universities);
- have a minimum IELTS overall score* of 6.5 (Academic module) with no band less than 6.0 or a TOEFL paper-based test score* of at least 580, or a TOEFL computer-based test score* of at least 237, or a TOEFL internet-based (iBT) score* of at least 92); and
- satisfy all requirements of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for an AusAID Student Visa 576 (this may mean a scholarship offer is withdrawn if a recipient cannot satisfy Visa requirements).
*Note: IELTS or TOEFL certificates must be valid until 1 January 2013.
Applicants must inform AusAID of any connection or relationship to staff employed at AusAID or its Managing Contractors (SASP) so that applications can be properly and transparently managed.
An applicant for Bachelor level ADS must also:
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have 3 passes in the GCE A/L examination with grades 'C' or above obtained in one sitting OR a diploma in a related field/discipline.
AusAID will seek to ensure that wherever possible, undergraduate level ADS awardees undertake Bachelor degrees of no more than 3 years duration. Only when no suitable 3 year course is available will the selection panel consider 4 year course options.
Applicants for Masters level ADS must:
- have completed a tertiary level qualification at least equivalent to an Australian Bachelor degree;
- select a Masters course not longer than 2 years in duration; and
- have worked in Maldives for at least 12 months preceding the scholarships application closing date.
Applicants are encouraged to consider course selections carefully before applying. Apart from exceptional circumstances, AusAID will not consider requests to change a selected course.
Awardees are required:
- to sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia declaring they will comply with the conditions of the scholarship; and
- to return to Maldives for at least 2 years after completing their scholarship, to contribute to its economic and social development. Failure to do so will incur a debt to the Commonwealth of Australia for the total value of the scholarship.
Awardees for Development Awards are accepted by most universities in Australia. A list of the participating universities for the intake commencing in 2013 is available at:
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/ads-institutions.cfm
Development Awards are offered for the minimum period necessary for an individual to complete the academic program specified by a university.
The following benefits generally apply:
- full tuition fees;
- return air travel: a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia by the most direct route;
- establishment allowance: a once only contribution towards expenses such as rental bonds, text books, additional medical insurance, excess baggage etc;
- contribution to living expenses (CLE): a fortnightly contribution to basic living expenses;
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP): a compulsory 4-6 week program on life and study in Australia prior to the commencement of formal studies;
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC): covers basic hospital and medical costs (excluding pre-existing conditions) for the duration of an award(for award-holder only); and
- Supplementary Academic Support (Tutorial Assistance): to improve a student's performance to ensure their academic success, if required.
For eligible research students only, contribution to fieldwork costs may be available for one return economy class airfare by the most direct route to Maldives or within Australia.
For more details on benefits and entitlements please read the Scholarships Handbook, available at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/publications.cfm
Applicants must carefully check that:
- a selected course aligns with one of the Priority Development Sectors for Maldives;
- a selected course will enable them to contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Maldives when they return; and
- they satisfy all university enrolment requirements, including English language proficiency.
All applicants must submit the following documents at the time of application. Failure to do so will result in an application being deemed ineligible.
- proof of citizenship i.e. birth certificate, passport (if available) or national ID;
- certified copies of diploma and degree certificates which have been accredited by the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA), and copies of any additional awards;
- certified academic transcripts;
- IELTS or TOEFL certificates valid until 1 January 2013; and
- a document explaining the grading scale used by the education institution from which they obtained their diploma and degree certificates.
Note: Applicants shortlisted must provide original and certified copies of all documents submitted with their applications when attending the interviews. Applicants selected for a scholarship will be required to submit a Police Clearance.
In addition:
- applicants seeking to undertake Masters by research or Masters by coursework with a research component must provide two academic referee reports. Templates for referee reports are available at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/pdf/referee.pdf ; and
- applicants who are offered a Development Award will need to submit other information required by DIAC for visa processing.
SASP will conduct information sessions during February-April to clarify queries from applicants. The objective of the information sessions is to ensure applicants have the correct information and are able to lodge eligible and quality applications. The information sessions are planned to be held in Addu Atoll, HDH Kulhudhuffushi, B Eydhafushi and in Male’. The dates and venues for information sessions will appear on the Maldives SASP website. Alternatively, potential applicants can contact SASP office for the dates and venues.
The Australian Government provides no financial or other support to dependents of AusAID scholars. AusAID scholars who intend to take family, are strongly encouraged to travel to Australia on their own for at least the first 8 weeks to attend the Introductory Academic Program and become established in their studies, without distraction.
- The online application form is accessible at https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications online. Those who wish to submit a hard copy application must contact the SASP office well before the application deadline. If required, a copy of the application form can be forwarded.
- Applicants from the Maldives must select one of the following four sectors from the list in the application form: Health, Education, Environment and Engineering (Civil and Marine). Applicants wishing to undertake studies related to Marine Engineering must select Environment and applicants who wish to apply for Civil Engineering must select Infrastructure.
- The Supporting Statement section of the application form is particularly important. Applicants must provide strong arguments to demonstrate their suitability for a Development Award.
- Applicants who wish to pursue studies by research (including Masters by research, or Masters by coursework with a research component) must complete the Research Proposal Details section.
- Applicants must complete the English Language Proficiency section in full, including their scores. Applicants must attach a certified copy of their IELTS or TOEFL certificate.
- Certified scanned copies of all supporting documents must be uploaded to the online application form. Applicants lodging hard copy applications must provide 3 copies of the application form with certified copies of the relevant supporting documents attached.
- For more information on Development Awards, read the FAQs and then contact the SASP office using the contact details below, email
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. Applications hand delivered will not be accepted. Hardcopy applications must be received by the SASP office at the following address on or before 5:00 pm 30 April 2012.
South Asia Scholarship Program (SASP)
Coffey International Development – Liaison Office
H. Karankaa Villa, Kurangi Goalhi
Male’ 20057, Republic of Maldives.
The selection process is open and transparent. The 9 main steps in the processes are:
- Intake opens – 1 February 2012
- Submit applications with necessary supporting documents
- Intake closes 30 April 2012
- Compliance checks
- Ranking, short listing and interviews
- Notifying the successful candidates
- SASP seeks university placement
- Immigration/visa and health clearances
- Pre-departure briefing and mobilisation
Dr. Ibrahim Hassan
Country Scholarship Coordinator – MaldivesIsmail Shaheer
Scholarship Management Associate – Maldives South Asia Scholarships Program (SASP)
Coffey International Development Liaison Office
Mobile: (960) 7999465, 7977465
Email:
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www.southasiascholarships.org
An Australian Government initiative |
 Program overview
Priority development sectors
Eligibility criteria
Participating Australian institutions
Benefits and entitlements
How to prepare
Required documentation
Scholarship management process
Information sessions
Family travel
How to apply
Useful links
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