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Long-term Development Awards are key component of the Australian Government’s development program in Sri Lanka. This scheme supports study at Australian tertiary institutions. The awards 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. Development Awards in Sri Lanka are available to support study at Masters Level.
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 Sri Lanka.
Top ranking applicants in the selection process will be considered for an ALA.
Applications for the intake commencing academic year 2013
close at on 30 April 2012 at 6pm (Sri Lankan time)
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.
Development Awards to study Masters by coursework or research are available for the 2013 intake to the following groups: -
Qualified employees of the Government of Sri Lanka from the priority sectors*
- Open for anyone qualified from corporate/private/NGO sector
*Please note: Preference will be given to candidates from Departments aligned with Government of Sri Lanka and AusAID agreed country priorities.
The priority areas of study and themes for the Australian Development Awards commencing in 2013 are:
- Governance: public financial management, public sector management, disability, economic growth, gender studies, human rights, infrastructure, regional stability, rural development and infrastructure development;
- Environment: natural resource management and climate change;
- Education: education policy and management, (particularly applicants who demonstrate a capacity to implement government policy on improving primary and secondary education); and
- Health: food security, policy for reducing malnutrition, public health management and water and sanitation.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of commencing the scholarship;
- be a citizen of Sri Lanka and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from Sri Lanka (AusAID may consider exceptions where applicants are working for the Government of Sri Lanka in a third country);
- not be married or engaged to or be a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, an Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, at any of the application, selection or mobilisation phases or while on-scholarship in Australia;
- not be current serving military personnel;
- not be applying for another long-term AusAID scholarship unless they have returned to Sri Lanka and resided there for twice the length of the total time they were in Australia (for example, a previous 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 of have held and Australian Government-funded scholarship (e.g. Endeavour Award) in the preceding two years, at the time of application;
- satisfy any specific Sri Lankan criteria;
- be able to satisfy admission requirements of the university at which the scholarship is to be undertaken (this may mean a scholarship offer will be withdrawn if the recipient cannot satisfy a university’s admission requirements. This may not be known until placements are requested at selected universities);
- be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for
an AusAID Student Visa 576 (this may mean a scholarship offer will be withdrawn if a recipient cannot satisfy visa requirements); and
Note: Applicants must inform AusAID of any connection or relationship to staff employed at AusAID or with Managing Contractor (SASP) so that applications can be properly and transparently managed.
The specific requirements for Sri Lanka are as follows. Applicants must:
- have an IELTS overall score* of 6.5 (Academic module) with no band less than 6.0 or 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 score* of at least 92;
- have a tertiary level qualification at least equivalent to an Australian Bachelor degree;
- have at least 3 years experience in the public, private or community sector and be confirmed in their position;
- not have previously received any Sri Lankan or overseas government funded scholarship for long term academic studies in a foreign country**; and
- not already be following a course of study at a university abroad;
* Note: English proficiency scores must be valid until 1 January 2013 and must be submitted with a scholarship application.
**Note: Applicants who have previously received a long term AusAID scholarship will be ineligible for a Development Award, even if they have returned to their home country and resided there for twice the length of time they were in Australia.
Applicants for Masters by research must also provide evidence of a conditional or unconditional offer of admission to a course at an eligible Australian institution for full time studies commencing in 2013.
Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider courses before stating their 2 preferred courses on the scholarship application form. Apart from exceptional circumstances, AusAID will not consider requests to change a selected course.
Awardees are required:
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To sign a contract with the Commonwealth of Australia declaring they will comply with the conditions of the scholarship.
- To return to Sri Lanka for at least 2 years after completing their scholarship, to contribute to economic and social development of the country. Failure to do so will incur a debt to the Commonwealth of Australia for the total value of the scholarship.
- To meet all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Failure to satisfy visa requirements within the required timeframe will result in the scholarship being withdrawn.
- To submit true, accurate and complete documentation. Failure to do so may result in an application not being processed, or an award being terminated if documentation or information provided is later determined to be false. Applicants should be aware that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995 of the Commonwealth of Australia and AusAID has a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards any attempts to gain a benefit fraudulently from the Australian Government. AusAID has the right to vary or reverse any decision regarding an Australia Award made on the basis of incorrect or incomplete information.
Awardees for Development Awards are accepted widely 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. Masters courses must be no longer than 2 years (the only exceptions are provided in the Scholarships Handbook Section 2.3.3).
The following benefits generally apply:
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Full tuition fees;
- Return air travel: payment of a single return, economy class airfare to and from Australia, via the most direct route;
- The reunion airfare entitlement is available to unaccompanied and single AusAID Scholars;
- Visa medical expenses relating to the AusAID Student Visa 576;
- Establishment allowance: a once only contribution of A$5,000 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 (as at 1 January 2012 this is A$28,000);
- Introductory Academic Program (IAP): a compulsory 4-6 week program on life and study in Australia conducted prior to the commencement of formal studies;
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for award holder only covering basic hospital and medical costs, excluding pre-existing conditions; and
- Supplementary Academic Support (Tutorial Assistance): to improve a student's performance to ensure their academic success, if required, accrued at a rate of $500 every 6 months.
For eligible research students only, contribution to fieldwork costs may be available for one return economy class airfare via the most direct route to Sri Lanka or within Australia, or in a third country in exceptional circumstances.
For ALA recipients, costs associated with participating in the Leadership for Development Program are covered by the scholarship.
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 Themes for Sri Lanka for a target group;
- A selected Masters course is no longer than 2 years;
- A selected course will enable them to contribute to poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Sri Lanka when they return; and
- They satisfy all university enrolment requirements, including English language proficiency.
All applicants must submit certified scanned copies of the following documents with their applications. Failure to do so will make an application ineligible. -
proof of citizenship: e.g. a birth certificate/ passport/ national ID;
- certified (notarized) copies of all tertiary degree certificates and copies of any additional awards;
- certified (notarized) copies of all academic grades (if applicants do not have transcripts, they should make arrangements with institutions to send the transcripts directly to the Sri Lankan SASP office by the deadline for applications); and
- IELTS or TOEFL certificates valid at the time of application (as specified in eligibility criteria), and remaining valid until 1 January 2013.
Please note: Successful applicants will be required to submit a valid police clearance certificate at the point of visa application. Grama Niladhari (Grama Seva) certificates will not be accepted.
In addition: -
Applicants seeking to undertake Masters by research or Masters by coursework with a research component must provide two academic referee reports, one of which must be from the supervisor of the proposed university. Templates for referee reports are available at http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/pdf/referee.pdf.
- Applicants wishing to undertake a Masters by Research must identify a potential supervisor at a university in Australia and receive in-principle agreement to their research proposal. This is required either at the time of application or by the time a Request for Placement is made.
- Masters by research applicants must provide a conditional or unconditional letter of offer of admission to a course at an eligible university for full time study commencing in 2013.
- Those applying from the government sector must comply with relevant Sri Lankan Government rules and regulations. The ‘ERD Form 2’ is not required to be submitted with a scholarship application.
Applicants offered a Development Award will need to submit other information required by DIAC for visa processing.
The Australian Government provides no financial or other support to the 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 eight weeks to attend the Introductory Academic Program and become established in their studies, without distraction.
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The online application form is accessible at https://oasis.ausaid.gov.au. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications online. Those who need 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 must select one of the following 4 themes from the list in the application form: Governance; Environment; Education; Health.
- 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 copy of their IELTS or TOEFL certificate. IELTS or TOEFLresults received after 6 pm on 30 April 2012 will not be considered.
- Certified (notarized) scanned copies of all supporting documents must be uploaded to the online application form.
- For more information on the Development Awards scheme, read the frequently asked questions and contact the SASP office at
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- Hardcopy applications must be received by the SASP office at the following address on or before 6:00 pm 30 April 2012.
South Asia Scholarships Program (SASP)
43/28 Nugagaha Place, Piliyandala Road, Maharagama, Sri Lanka
T (+94) 115018938, M (+94) 773638958, (+94) 773939038
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
- In-Australia support.
Dr. Hemamali Palihakkara
Country Scholarship Coordinator - Sri Lanka
Dinukshi Shiyara Fernando
Scholarship Management Associate – Sri Lanka South Asia Scholarships Program (SASP)
43/28 Nugagaha Place, Piliyandala Road, Maharagama, Sri Lanka
T (+94) 115018938, 112842639M (+94) 773638958, 773939038, 778850186
www.southasiascholarships.org
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An Australian Government initiative
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 Program overview
Eligible target groups
Priority development themes
Eligibility criteria
Participating Australian institutions
Benefits and entitlements
How to prepare
Required documentation
Family travel
How to apply
Scholarship management process
Useful links
Contact us
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