CAAR Scholarships

Introduction

Applying for a CAAR Scholarship

The Council for Australian-Arab Relations was established by the Australian Government in January 2003 to strengthen ties between Australia and Arab countries. The Council’s role is to promote greater understanding and acceptance of Australian and Arab cultures, values, beliefs and diversity. The focus is on commercial and people-to-people links and it also works to strengthen academic and educational ties. For more information on CAAR go to http://www.dfat.gov.au/caar/.

The Arab community is an increasingly important part of Australian society. The establishment of the Council underscored the high value that the Government attaches to the Arab community. It also demonstrates the Government’s commitment to achieving a deeper understanding of Australia in the Arab world, as well as fostering a greater understanding of Arabic culture in Australia.

The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) is sponsoring a limited number of short-term scholarships for postgraduate students from Arab League countries to study in Australia. The objectives of the CAAR Scholarships Program are to:

• increase exchange of knowledge and information between the Arab league countries and Australia
• build effective networks between Australia and the Arab League countries, and
• demonstrate the benefits of Australian education through the provision of high-quality education.

CAAR Scholarships are offered to citizens of the Arab League countries who wish to undertake short term postgraduate study in Australia. The Arab League countries are: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Scholarship Program

The scholarship program will meet the costs of university course fees only for Masters or PhD students to undertake postgraduate coursework programs of 3-6 months, Postgraduate Certificate courses or Professional Development short courses at Australian universities during 2008-2009. The first round of the scholarships will commence in February 2008. The second intake will be in July 2008. In the event that all scholarships are not allocated in the first and second intakes, a third intake might commence in February 2009.

The number of CAAR Scholarships available in any one year will depend on the type and cost of study courses approved for the successful candidates.

Scholarships will be aligned with the following broad fields of study:

• Design, Architecture, and Construction;
• Business Management, Administration and Public Policy;
• Natural Resources and Environmental Science;
• Health Sciences, Allied Health, and Medical Technology;
• Mining, Petroleum, Oil and Gas;
• Strategic Diplomacy and Defence; and
• Political Science.

Selection

Selection will be undertaken competitively. A pre-selection panel, comprising CAAR’s managing contractor, GRM International, and eminent academics from the Arab League countries, will recommend a short list of candidates and final selections will be made by CAAR in Australia. The selection process will take into account general eligibility, academic record and the applicant’s responses to the selection criteria detailed below. Offers will not be made to people seeking to migrate to Australia