Australia and New Zealand introduce new scholarships for Asia
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 November 2009 2150 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Australia and New Zealand on Friday announced a boost for the educational sector for the region.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said it will give NZ$15,000 each for two tertiary students from Singapore and New Zealand.

Australia said it will pump A$8 million by 2010 for the first phase of its new Australia Asia Awards to grow a new generation of regional leaders.

This was disclosed by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a special lecture at the National University of Singapore on Friday.

Mr Rudd said: "In short, education has long been the lifeblood of the Australia-Singapore relationship and broadly across the region. In order to progress, we need to understand more about our neighbours."

Mr Rudd added that the new scholarships will also help Australians to showcase their capabilities in the education sector and grow the pool of international students. - CNA/ms