Australian High Commission
New Delhi
India, Bhutan

Prestigious Australian Government scholarships to 43 Bhutanese professionals

PA/16/17                                                                                                                                                                                               22 November 2017

                               Prestigious Australian Government scholarships to 43 Bhutanese professionals

The Australian Ambassador to Bhutan, Ms Harinder Sidhu, today presented certificates to 43 Bhutanese professionals, who have been awarded the prestigious Australian Government scholarships - 28 Australia Awards Scholarships and 15 Endeavour Awards.   

“I congratulate the successful applicants. These awardees will get an opportunity for study, research and professional development in Australia.”

The awardees have been selected on the basis of their potential to help build Bhutan’s institutional and human resource capacity in sectors such as education, engineering, energy, and governance, upon their return.

“They join hundreds of Bhutanese who have studied in Australia since the Colombo Plan period and have successfully returned to apply their experience and knowledge to Bhutan’s development,” said Ms Sidhu.

The Chairperson of the Royal Civil Service Commission, Dasho Karma Tshiteem, congratulated the recipients and said that he is looking forward to the next generation of awardees applying their newly acquired skills to create a better and stronger Bhutan.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources, Dasho Sonam Wangchuk, said, “The awardees will contribute immensely to Bhutan’s socio-economic development as well as being able to enhance their own careers”.   

The Australia Awards complement the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan, under which 120 Australian students will live, study and work in Bhutan in 2018.

Applications for the next round of Australia Awards Scholarships will commence in February 2018.  More information is available on the Australia Awards Office - Bhutan website: https://www.australiaawardssouthwestasia.org/how-to-apply/bhutan