Indonesia-NewZealand Development Scholarships

New Zealand Development Scholarships – Public category (NZDS-Public) and Open category (NZDS-Open).

Within the New Zealand bilateral development assistance programme for Indonesia, up to ten NZDS-Public and three NZDS-Open scholarships will be offered to eligible Indonesian citizens for study beginning in the 2009 academic year. In the event of insufficient NZDS-Public applications that meet the criteria, a correspondingly greater number of NZDS-Open places will be made available.

The scholarships are available to public servants, lecturers from academic institutions, and also to members of non-government organisations and private sector and other agencies, (preferably organisations and agencies who are working in partnership with NZAID). The NZDS scholarships are for postgraduate study, primarily for Masters level qualifications, but a small number of scholarships for Doctorate (PhD) research are available. Applications for PhD level will only be considered where particularly strong development relevance is demonstrated.

Priority sectors

New Zealand Development Scholarships will be awarded in areas agreed with the Government of Indonesia (BAPPENAS/SEKNEG) as being priority human resources development needs. Priority sectors for 2009 are:

• Rural livelihoods
• Governance
• Basic education
• Human rights
• Conflict prevention and peace building
• In the Health sector, consideration will be given to applicants interested in appropriate study options directly related to community-based, primary health, water and sanitation who are from eastern Indonesia (NTB, NTT, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua), Aceh and Nias.
• With regard to Indonesia’s avian flu response, and to the sectors of disaster planning and management and the environment/conservation, consideration will be given to applicants from NTB, NTT, Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, Aceh and Nias and, also to other applicants who meet the Indonesia specific criteria below.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following NZDS eligibility criteria before their application will be considered against the selection criteria, including any criteria specific to Indonesia. Applicants must:

• be a citizen of Indonesia (i.e. permanent residents are not eligible to apply);
• be residing in Indonesia, preferably for at least two years prior to application;
• not have citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand or Australia or another country;
• not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds, or who is eligible to hold, citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand, Australia or another developed country;
• be aged 17 or over before the scholarship start date;
• be applying to commence a new qualification and not be seeking funding for one already commenced in New Zealand or another country2;
• not have completed, or nearly completed, a qualification at a similar level (i.e. applicants must apply for a higher level qualification than any previously attained), unless strong developmental relevance is demonstrated;
• satisfy the admission requirements of the New Zealand education institution at which the qualification is to be undertaken, including English language criteria;
• have been working in their home country, preferably for at least two years prior to application, including since completing their highest tertiary qualification gained to date;
• be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to Indonesia’s public, private or community sector (as relevant), and to the development of Indonesia in general; and
• be able to take up the scholarship in the academic year for which it is offered.

Applicants cannot:
• be studying full-time at post-secondary level;
• be transferring from another tertiary scholarship (either in New Zealand or in another country) to a NZDS;
• hold, or have held, a New Zealand Government or Australian Government scholarship in the 24 months preceding the scholarship start date; or
• have been terminated from a New Zealand or Australian Government scholarship previously.

In addition, applicants from Indonesia must:
• be no more than 40 years of age at the time of application;
• hold a recognised undergraduate degree if applying for a Masters degree, or a recognised Masters degree if applying for a PhD. The applicant must have a GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4.0 or equivalent for their highest qualification attained to date. If a different grading system was used, the applicant must submit a certified translated explanation of the grade. Generally, the applicant’s academic background should be relevant to the field of study proposed for study in New Zealand;
• have been working in Indonesia for two years immediately preceding the date of their scholarship application, and have their application approved and officially endorsed by their employing organisation;
• provide honest and accurate answers to all relevant questions on their application form; and
• agree to meet other criteria as agreed in consultation with the Government of Indonesia.

Application Deadline: 20th April 2008

Further information may be obtained at:
http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/library/docs/scholarships-indonesia-cp-nov07.pdf

http://www.nzaid.govt.nz/scholarships/nzds/index.html