Ambassador congratulates Australia Awards recipients of Maldives

Australian Deputy Ambassador Victoria Coakley and the Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed with the 8 recipients of this year’s Australia Awards

The Australian Deputy Ambassador Victoria Coakley recently hosted a reception in Male’ to congratulate eight Maldivians who have been offered Australia Awards to study at Australian universities in 2019.

The recipients will undertake master’s degrees at Australia’s top universities in a range of fields including environmental management, good governance, economic development and education. “The personal links between Australians and Maldives are the bedrock of this warm relationship, and education has long been an important connector,” said Coakley.

The Australian Government invests in education as a force for political and economic reform and good governance.

“In offering Australia Awards, we strive to be inclusive. We seek out individuals with great attitudes and commitment. We want scholars who reflect the Maldives’ diversity because we know that diversity brings new ideas, innovation and a wider outlook,” said Coakley.

The Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed attended the event as Chief Guest.

A number of government representatives and senior officials from civil society attended, including members of the Maldives Australia Alumni, which is an association providing an opportunity for awardees to network and interact after they return from studies in Australia. 

The next round of Australia Awards Scholarships will be open for applications from 1 February 2019 until 30 April 2019. Please visit the Australia Awards website www.australiaawards.gov.au or www.australiaawardsmaldives.org for further information.