ASEAN nations to join Australia's New Colombo Plan
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced that all 10 ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to participate in the Australia's New Colombo Plan from 2015, which encourages Australian students to study at universities in Southeast Asia.
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced that all 10 tenmember states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) haveagreed to participate in the Australia's New Colombo Plan from 2015,which encourages Australian students to study at universities inSoutheast Asia.
A pilot phase of the plan began earlier thisyear in two ASEAN member nations of Indonesia and Singapore, along withtwo other Asian destinations of Japan and Hong Kong (China).
Underthe Plan, more than 1,300 Australian students are being supported bytheir government to study in the Asia Pacific region and Indian Ocean,with over half of them heading to Southeast Asia.
Bishop saidin a statement that the agreement of ASEAN member nations to theprogramme will help youths in her country have greater opportunities tolearn from Southeast Asian neighbours. The Australian Government hasdecided to earmark 100 million AUD (nearly 93 million USD) for theprogramme.
From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the originalColombo Plan brought tens of thousands of students from Southeast Asiato study in Australia.-VNA
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