On December 9, the government of Australia honoured nine Nepalis with the Australia Awards. The awardees will leave for Australia in early 2023 to pursue their Master’s degrees on full scholarship.

The scholars are also provided with return airfares, contribution to living expenses and medical insurance. Conforming to the ethos of the award—social inclusion and gender equality—out of the nine Nepalese award recipients, five are women, and two are individuals with disabilities.

Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, Shanker Das Bairagi, and Felicity Volk, Australian Ambassador to Nepal, while addressing the award ceremony expressed their congratulatory messages.

“The skills, knowledge, and exposure of the recipients of the prestigious Australia Awards scholarships will be of immense importance to Nepal,” added Bairagi.

Ambassador Volk said, “The Australia Awards program focuses on social inclusion, making it a scheme that is truly representative of the rich diversity of Nepali society. Gender equality, inclusion for people living with disability and social inclusion underpin our selection processes. And our data speak to the success of these efforts. Of this cohort: 56 percent are females, 67 percent are from traditionally marginalised communities, and 22 percent are people with disability.”

Individuals that wish to apply for the Australia Awards can do so in February of 2023.