Australia Awards
Summary
This report details the outcomes of a case study of Fijian alumni of Australian development scholarships. Alumni in this case study completed their scholarships between the late 1960's and mid-1990s in the field of education. The Fiji case study alumni cohort comprised six women and two men who have worked across all areas of the education spectrum in Fiji–early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary and adult education.
Fiji case study alumni have made significant contributions to education policy and practice, including setting national education agendas and developing the first National Special Education Policy. Examples of using skills, knowledge and networks gained on award to contribute to bilateral cooperation and partnerships were less apparent. Alumni in the Fiji case study generally held very positive views about Australia, Australians, and Australian expertise. Fiji case study alumni provided strong evidence to support the claim that targeting particular groups such as women and people with disabilities for scholarships has positively impacted their careers.
This research was conducted by the Australia Awards Global Tracer Facility to provide the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with evidence to evaluate the impact of the Australia Awards.