Australia signs agreement with Bhutan on education and health

Updated on: Monday, May 28, 2012

An agreement signed on May 15 will allow Australia to commence volunteers’ placements in Bhutan before the end of the year. who will be assisting Bhutan in its development.
 
The programme will begin with around eight volunteers. The initial focus will be on education and health.  Each volunteer will work in Bhutan for a period of one to two years.  Volunteer placements will be managed by one of the three partner organisations – Australian Red Cross, Austraining International and Australian Volunteers International – contracted by the Australian Government.

Peter Varghese AO, Australia’s ambassador to Bhutan, said, after signing the agreement in New Delhi,  “There is a strong interest among Australians in volunteering in Bhutan. I expect this new programme to attract a large field of quality applicants. We hope it will grow over time.”
 
Australia is celebrating fifty years of development assistance to Bhutan this year. The volunteer programme marks the latest phase in Australia’s longstanding development relationship with Bhutan. The relationship began in 1962 when Bhutan attended the Colombo Plan meeting in Melbourne as an observer.

Australia’s current bilateral cooperation with Bhutan is centred on human resource development, mainly through scholarships. Australia’s assistance to Bhutan has increased significantly in recent years, from A$1m in 2001 to an estimated A$11m in 2012-13. A total of 389 Bhutanese students have studied in Australia on Australian Government funded scholarships since 2007.

The Australian Government has supported more than 12,000 Australians to volunteer in Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, as part of the overseas aid programme since the 1960s. By contributing their time and skills, those volunteers have made a positive contribution to poverty reduction, sustainable development and cross-cultural understanding.
 

More Education news

• Karnataka department of higher education to further strengthen protection to women students and employees
• Heads of government and private schools directed to keep a close watch on the behaviour of teachers
• Chairman of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions submits his report
• Everyone will be given due representation says Goa CM
• Pune Education Department to hold meetings with schools to ensure a smooth RTE implementation
• Health and Medical Education, Forest and Home departments within the ambit of Public Services Guarantee Act
• 'value education' courses in engineering colleges to inculcate better values and character building
• students challenge new NET gidelines
• Proposed multi crore edu city project nearing completion
• 21 engineering colleges affiliated to the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University to seek accreditation
• MBBS and PG medical seats to be increased by 50% and 100% respectively from academic year 2013-14
• M S University's faculty of fine arts mired in controversy over a painting hurting religious sentiment
• IICA inks MoU with Bangalore-based National Law School of India University for forging academic partnership
• President asks private players to contribute in improving the standards of higher education
• First technical and medical university at picturesque Apatani Plateau in lower Subansiri district
• Prayas scheme to be extended to 4 more districts
• Jamia Millia Islamia Professor gets Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship
• Japans new government will not waive tution fee to pro-Pyongyang high schools
• Most Israeli high school students found accessing Mobile phone during class hours
• UGC notifies the procedure and criteria for declaration of result for NET to be conducted on 30.12.12