Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Scholarship for Timor–Leste—Information for intake commencing 2013


 Timor-Leste

Information for awards commencing in 2013

Development Awards in Timor-Leste

Australia’s international development assistance in Timor-Leste aims to:
1.       Strengthen basic health and education service delivery;
2.       Increase employment by increasing agricultural productivity; improving infrastructure; promoting vocational education; and promoting private sector development;
3.       Improve government accountability, transparency and integrity;
4.       Build the foundations of a safer community.

Development Awards are administered by AusAID and aligned with Australia’s development assistance in Timor‑Leste.  They aim to provide successful applicants with the skills and knowledge to drive change and influence economic and social development.

AusAID offers Development Awards on the basis of merit, transparency and equal access.  Applications from women, people living in the districts, people with disabilities and public servants will be particularly welcome.

Priority Sectors

The priority areas of study for Australian Development Scholarships in Timor-Leste are divided into two categories: 1) areas of study for civil servants; and, 2) areas of study for other applicants. Australian Development Scholarships will not be awarded for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science or aviation.

Areas of study for civil servants, identified by the Civil Service Commission, include:
-          Public administration
-          Public policy
-          Public management (including Finance)
-          Human resources management
-          A field of study related to the applicants current job.

Areas of study for all other applicants, identified by the Ministry of Education, include:
-          Agriculture and environment studies
-          Engineering and construction
-          Health
-          Science
-          Economic and business
-          Education and law

Type and Level of Awards          

Australian Development Scholarships
These are long term development scholarships providing people with the opportunity to obtain tertiary qualifications at an Australian tertiary institution.

The Australian Government awards Australian Development Scholarships (including Leadership Awards) under its Australia Awards initiative.

Australian Leadership Award Scholarships
Up to 200 of the most outstanding Australian Development Scholarship applicants across the globe will be offered an Australian Leadership Award in addition to their scholarship.

These extra entitlements will include a Leadership for Development Program designed to enhance leadership knowledge and skills.  Recipients will be brought together with other Australian Leadership Awardees for leadership training, development discussions and the chance to build valuable networks. 

Selections will be based on the applicant’s professional and personal qualities, academic competence and, most importantly, their potential impact on development challenges in their country or region.

Eligibility Criteria

You must meet all of the eligibility requirements detailed in the Scholarships Handbook, available at:

To be eligible to apply for an ADS (including the Leadership Awards) in Timor-Leste you must also:
-          be an East Timorese National and have lived in Timor‑Leste for at least five years;
-          be usually[1] and currently resident in Timor-Leste;
-          not have permanent residence status for Australia or New Zealand;
-          be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of commencement of scholarship in Australia;
-          not be married or engaged to a person who is eligible to hold citizenship or permanent resident status of Australia;
-          satisfy Australian government requirements for international student entry (health, character check, etc);
-          not hold a scholarship that would give overlapping benefits;
-          not have held an Australian and/or New Zealand Government scholarship in the 24 months preceding the application;
-          be applying to commence a new course of study at a level higher than your current qualification.
-          be able to take up the scholarship in the year for which it is offered (2013); and
-          for Civil Servants, be endorsed by your sponsoring organization, e.g. Ministry, Statutory Authority, Agency;
-          To be eligible not have been terminated from previous scholarships.

In Addition, priority will be provided to candidates who have not had scholarships and or have not previously been awarded two Australian and/or New Zealand Government scholarships.



Special Conditions

You must also meet the following country special conditions:
-          all applicants must have very good English language skills. The overall IELTS score for undergraduate level study should not be less than 5 (or 5.5 for postgraduate study), with no band score less than 4.5 (or 5.0 for postgraduate study).  If you have applied before and got an overall IELTS score less than what is required, you must show evidence of English language study since then;
-          all applicants wanting to be considered for a supplementary Leadership Award or doctorate (PhD) study must have IELTS overall result of 6.5 with no band score less then  6;
-          applicants for postgraduate study must have a recognised undergraduate (S1) degree with a Grade Point Average of at least 2.75[2]; PhD candidates must have GPA of at least 3.0;
-          applicants for undergraduate study must have graduated from senior high school with an average final grade of 7;
-          mature age applicants (21 years old and over) with suitable levels of work experience in government, civil society or the private sector who can demonstrate a capacity to be successful in higher education studies may be eligible to apply for either undergraduate or certain types of postgraduate study. They should possess a minimum of high school average final grade of 6.5 [3] and an undergraduate degree (S1) with average final grade of 2.5 and at least five (5) years of relevant professional experience;
-          previous Australian and/or New-Zealand scholarship awardees and/or other development countries scholarships, to become eligible again to apply for a ADS (including Leadership Awards scholarship) must present proof that they have worked in-country for a minimum of two years to contribute to the development of Timor-Leste.

In addition, all applicants must:

-          Be committed to return to Timor-Leste when you finish your degree and apply your knowledge and skills to the development of Timor-Leste.
-          If awarded a Scholarship, sign a contract with the relevant Government committing to return home at the end of the award period for a minimum period of two years.

Application dates for study commencing in Australia in 2013

Opening date:                   2 April 2012
Closing date:                      30 April 2012

Applications or supporting documents received after this date will not be considered.


The Application Process­:

Hardcopy applications:
Application forms can be obtained from PSCDP Scholarship office.
Tjing Fa Ho House # 01 – 01, Talhao No. 85 Bairro de Lecidere.

Supporting Documents:

In addition to the documents listed in the Scholarships Handbook, you must also provide these documents with your application to meet the specific requirements for Timor-Leste:

You MUST include:
1.       A curriculum vitae (CV) and
2.       Certified copies of the following supporting documents:
a.       Your birth certificate or baptism certificate or Timor‑Leste passport
b.      Your academic transcripts and graduation certificates (ijazah) from high school and university, and
c.       Certified English translations of these documents.

The Selection Process­

An independent Joint Selection Committee will consider all eligible applications and a short list will be made.  Candidates will be selected on academic grounds.

These candidates will then take an English language proficiency test (IELTS) and those with overall IELTS score of 5 with each band score no less than 4.5 and above (for undergraduate) or 5.5 with each band score no less than 4.5 and above (for postgraduate) or 6.5 with band score no less than 6.0 and above (for doctorate/PhD) will be interviewed by the ADS (including Leadership Awards) JSC. 

The interview team will assess the candidates’ academic ability, clarity of study goals, cultural adaptability and the relevance of their proposed study to the development of Timor-Leste, interviews will be undertaken in English.

Preparatory Training

Prior to the IELTS test, all short listed candidates are invited to attend 5/five days IELTS preparation course conducted by Loro Sae English Language Institution/LELI. The five days IELTS preparation is a compulsory course for all short listed candidates in order to obtain a standard IELTS results before move to the next stage which is interview.

Further Information 

Further information about the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the various Australian tertiary institutions and courses can be found at:

More general information about the Australia Awards, studying in Australia and AusAID can be found at

Contact Details

Organisation:  Public Sector Capacity Development Program
Address:  Tjing Fa Ho House #01 – 01, No: 85 Bairro de Lecidere, Dili Timor - Leste
Telephone:  + 670 332 2685
Fax:  + 670 332 2624
Mobile:  +670 732 3768
Email:  adstimorleste@yahoo.com


[1] An applicant having resided for a minimum of five years (cumulative) in Timor -Leste since 1999
[2] Aligned with the most recent Ministry of Education scholarships policy
[3] Aligned with the most recent Ministry of Education scholarships policy

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