Farewell
to AusAID students
Allison Soedradjat, the head of AusAID in Indonesia,
attended the graduation ceremony at IALF Jakarta for over 80 students
who will be undertaking postgraduate study in Australia this year. This
group of students are amongst the 600 students who, in 2006, will have
been funded by AusAID through the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS)
program and the Australian Partnership Scholarship (APS) program.
The group had attended pre-departure language training
at the IALF and head to Australia for second semester courses in fields
as diverse as Biological Anthropology, Forensic Accounting and Robotics.
In her speech Allison mentioned the strength and diversity
within the Australia-Indonesia relationship. She highlighted the importance
of partnership within the aid program and noted that Australian aid funded
activities depend for their success on collaboration with Indonesian organisations
and individuals. She expressed her hope that when the students return
to Indonesia after completing their postgraduate study they will be able
to contribute to development initiatives.
Michael Bracher, Senior Program Manager APS, talked about
several important aspects of re-entry into Indonesia, when students have
completed their studies. He outlined some of the issues they could face
on their return and some ways in which these could be addressed so that
the knowledge and skills gained in their study can be utilised effectively.
In the speeches by students, Wati representing ADS and
Netty Muharni and Noni Nuriani representing APS thanked the Australian
government for providing the opportunity for Indonesians to study in Australia
and their hope that the scholarship program would continue to contribute
to human resource development in Indonesia. Wati, on behalf of the Acehnese
students in the group, expressed their gratitude for the Australian government’s
assistance to Aceh over the past year. |
A group of APS students with (at back, left to right) Michael NIcklin
(Teacher, IALF), Geoffrey Crewes (CEO, IALF), Michael Bracher (Senior
Program Manager APS), and Alison Spice (Program Manager, IALF). |
