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Among the 40 elite Australian students who received the inaugural New Colombo Plan scholarships, 12 have chosen Hong Kong as their destination, making the city the most popular among all pilot destinations.
The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government that aims to lift knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region in Australia and strengthen people-to-people and institutional relationships. Under the pilot scheme launched last year, Australian undergraduates were offered the opportunity to apply for 40 prestigious scholarships for semester-based study and work placement in Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia or Singapore for up to a year. The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Ms Julie Bishop, announced the winners of the scholarships at an awards dinner in Canberra last night (June 25).
The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, Mr Steve Barclay, welcomed the students to visit Hong Kong during a pre-departure briefing in Canberra.
"Hong Kong enjoys a growing profile as an international educational hub where students can receive quality education while being immersed in the city's East-meets-West culture," Mr Barclay said.
"The New Colombo Plan itself also offers a great opportunity to further strengthen the Australian connections with Hong Kong."
Mr Amogh Sarda, a student studying a dual degree in computer science and mechatronic engineering at the University of New South Wales, will attend the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Hong Kong is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is creating and embracing modern technology. I intend to nurture my entrepreneurship skills and engage with the vibrant business start-up community," he said.
Other scholarship recipients include Ms Sarah Mitchell, who is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Adelaide, will study linguistics and history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and undertake an internship.
"I chose Hong Kong not only because it is a holiday paradise, but also because of its academic excellence. I would also like to reach out to the locals and Mainland Chinese through CUHK's volunteer service programmes," she said.
Mr Elliot Jones, a student undertaking courses in engineering at Griffith University, will attend the University of Hong Kong. He said that apart from enjoying a cross-cultural experience, he would love to see Hong Kong's cutting-edge solutions in environmental engineering.
"Maybe I can spend some time playing badminton, as that is not as popular in Australia as it is in Asia," he added.
Ms Jasmin Hammond is the only indigenous person among the 40 scholarship recipients. She is studying natural science at the University of Western Sydney and will attend HKUST.
"I always aspire to be a role model in the aboriginal community. With the honour of being a New Colombo Plan scholar, I can show my peers that their endeavours will be recognised," she said.
The 12 scholars will head off to Hong Kong starting from August this year.
Earlier this year, the University of Wollongong and Macquarie University were awarded New Colombo Plan mobility grants for their students to undertake short-term study and research in Hong Kong. The destinations for the two groups totalling 21 students were the Hong Kong Institute of Education and CUHK respectively.
Ends/Thursday, June 26, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:17
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