The International Scholarship Collaboration (ISC) program was a joint effort by Griffith University and Australia Award Indonesia, aimed at building collaboration between Indonesian education scholarship providers, as well as enhancing international partnerships with Australian education providers.
The program ran from September 2019 to February 2020, with pre-course, on-course, and post-course elements. Participants were able to work with Griffith University, Australian Government, and private sector experts to enhance their scholarship programs across Indonesia.
Participants were drawn from Indonesian Government Ministries and Agencies in Jakarta and throughout the archipelago from Aceh to Papua. As part of the program, all participants were required to identify an issue or area for improvement within their own scholarship program.
With the goodwill and collaboration built throughout the ISC program activities, participants reported results beyond expectations and collaborations that will strengthen scholarship programs across Indonesian Ministries and build capacity in support of President Joko Widodo's strategic vision enhance Indonesian human resources.
One participant wished to develop and deliver a dedicated half-day Indonesian Scholarship Forum to invite key government officials and solidify a collaborative environment for all Indonesian Education Scholarship providers.
The final day of the AAI and GU program was entrusted to the unique forum and best examples the success of the AAI and GU collaboration on the ISC.
Team leader, Mr Alan Atwell was joined by Professor Caitlin Byrne from the Griffith Asia Institute and Dr Anne Cullen from the Department of Business and Strategy and Innovation to ensure the participants achieved their learning outcomes.
Dr Cullen said, "It has been an absolute pleasure to contribute to the program and deliver the course with Alan Atwell"
"I enjoyed creating innovative collaborations with the Indonesian participants and feel enriched by the experience".
The technical aspects of were primarily conducted at the Griffith University Nathan campus or at the Crawford Centre, Australian National University. However, as collaboration was one of the key objectives of the course, a opportunities to meet other persons or groups involved in scholarships and partnership development were built into the program.
Participants were exposed to a range of universities, various government departments and private sector organisations. This was achieved in Brisbane through various forums held at Griffith's South Bank campus where representatives from the University of Queensland, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology and University of New England attended along with the Queensland Chair of the Australia Indonesia Business Council and the Head of Economic Development at the Sunshine Coast City Council.
In Canberra, participants were addressed by representatives from the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission. The aim was to provide the participants with a range of possible collaboration and scholarship targets and also to gain an understanding of these organisations' strengths and strategic focus.
Bapak Muhammad Ruby, from the Aceh Provincial Government sums up the participant experience best:
"It has been a terrific journey, from gaining technical knowledge, meeting the experts, developing the project and having a wonderful time in Australia."
