New scholarship attracts Timorese students to the Territory

A new partnership between Charles Darwin University (CDU) and an international school in Timor-Leste will develop a new scholarship program to support the economic growth of the country and foster connections between the Territory and Timor-Leste.

The new scholarship will enable five students from the Dili International School to receive funding for a three-year bachelor’s degree at CDU each year.

The Dili International School students graduate with the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and will be considered for the scholarship based on their ATARs and academic merits.

The scholarship with huge savings in tuition and living expenses will offer financial support to students from Dili and invest in the future economic growth of Timor-Leste.

Professor Bowman said the scholarship and partnerships would continue to strengthen CDU’s close relationship with Timor-Leste.

“We have strong links to Timor-Leste, and we need to continue to build them. CDU was a strong supporter of the country from the very beginning. It is now the job of the present custodians of CDU to build a legacy for the future in Timor-Leste,” Professor Bowman said.

“We set up the scholarship program with the Dili International School so that the Timor-Leste leaders of the future will be CDU graduates. Our goal is to engage with our neighbours and friends in the region and attract students from across the globe.”

It comes as CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman and a team of delegates traveled to Timor-Leste this month to visit local schools and researchers and promote study and partnership opportunities.

More than 40 researchers and staff members from CDU and the Menzies School of Health Research are based in Timor-Leste, working on COVID testing and vaccinations and other infectious diseases.

Located just a one-hour flight from Darwin, Timor-Leste’s capital city Dili has strong ties with the Northern Territory.

As part of the recent trip, CDU also visited the National University of Timor-Leste and the Catholic University of Timor-Leste to discuss ways to establish strong research links, student and staff exchanges and staff training and education.

Historically, CDU has always had a large number of Timorese international students who have completed their higher education and returned to Timor-Leste to contribute to the country’s development.

CDU Timorese alumnus Madalena Costa Soares received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and International Alumnus Award at the 2021 CDU Alumni Awards.

Ms Soares was the Director of Nursing Academy in Timor-Leste and later the Vice Minister of Health for Timor-Leste. She graduated with a Master of Public Policy at CDU in 2012.