Call for Applications: SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award 2013

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Government of Australia jointly organized SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award 2013 to promote education links between SEAMEO and Australia in Southeast Asia and beyond. The awards are open for the students from SEAMEO Member Countries. The award gives recognition and financial assistance to projects or proposals in the field of education cooperation between Australia and Southeast Asia.

Study Subject(s): The SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award seeks to acknowledge and reward innovative projects or proposals that demonstrate one or more of the following:

• effective and inspiring efforts of individuals, groups of people, education institutions or organisations to improve education cooperation and linkages across the SEAMEO region and between SEAMEO member countries and Australia;
• recognition of diversity of individuals and sectors in promoting cross-border partnerships on education and thereby inter-cultural understanding;
• support to integration/regionalization of education while promoting the importance of and respect for local wisdom.

Course Level: SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award 2013 gives recognition and financial assistance to projects or proposals that demonstrate education cooperation between Australia and Southeast Asia to bring about a better quality of life through positive relations, education advancement, cultural harmony, innovation, and research.

Scholarship Provider: Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Government of Australia

Scholarship can be taken at: An entry for the contest must be either: An existing project on education cooperation between Australia and Southeast Asia or a country in Southeast Asia; or A proposal on education cooperation between Australia and Southeast Asia or a country in Southeast Asia, or within Southeast Asia, that could later be implemented in the Southeast Asian context, possibly in cooperation with SEAMEO.

Eligibility:

• The award is open to any national (natural person or body corporate) of a SEAMEO Member Country. The SEAMEO Member Countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
• The applicant, where a natural person, must be at least 18 years old.
• Members of the SEAMEO Secretariat, the SEAMEO Regional Centres and their employees and families are not qualified to apply for this Award.
• By submitting an entry, the applicant gives SEAMEO and the Australian Government permission to use the information submitted including photos for publication purposes. 

Scholarship Open for International Students: The students from SEAMEO Member Countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) can apply for the scholarship.

Scholarship Description: A joint initiative of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Government of Australia to promote education links between SEAMEO and Australia in Southeast Asia and beyond. For eleven years, SEAMEO and the Government of Australia jointly organized the SEAMEO-Australia Press Award which gave recognition to excellent coverage of education issues by journalists and educators in Southeast Asia. The project has paved the way for greater discussion on many facets of education including challenges in providing quality education for all; as well as the promotion of cooperation in education between Southeast Asia and Australia. In keeping with the aim of promoting beneficial education cooperation between the peoples of Southeast Asia and Australia, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) and the Government of Australia launch the First SEAMEO-Australia Education Links Award (2013).

What does it cover?

• The winner will receive a grant worth AUD$10,000, which is expected to support activities in relation to the winning innovative idea or project.
• The winner will be awarded a Plaque of Recognition at the 36th SEAMEO High Officials’ Meeting in November 2013 in Thailand.
• The winner will receive a round-trip economy air ticket from his/her home country to Thailand, including pre-determined accommodation and stipend to receive a plaque of recognition.
• The proposed use of the grant must be set out by the applicant in the application. Activities may include participation in conferences; delivery of training courses; academic exchange programs; cooperation between education institutions; internship program; expansion of an existing project; purchase of project-related materials and equipment; and other related activities. The winner will be expected to provide a report to SEAMEO, including information on how the grant money was used.

Selection Criteria: The evaluation will be based on the merit of the proposal as indicated by:

• Innovation, practicability and originality of the proposal
• Scope for replication, expansion or duplication of the proposal
• Value for money and sustainability
• Benefit and relevance to the Southeast Asia region through the transfer of new ideas, broadened educational opportunities, improvements to education quality, formation of long-term people-to-people links and improvements to mutual understanding to the benefit of all parties.

Notification: Winners will be announced on October 1, 2013. The winner will be notified by the SEAMEO Secretariat and such notification will include information for the winner on the award ceremony and his/her attendance at the ceremony. The winner will be awarded a Plaque of Recognition at the 36th SEAMEO High Officials’ Meeting in November 2013 in Thailand.

How to apply: Applications can be sent via post or by email.

Scholarship Application Deadline: Last day for submission of entries is on September 15, 2013.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

Source: Scholarship Position