Australian alumnis award scholarship

JAKARTA: The Surabaya Branch of the Australian Alumni Association in Indonesia has awarded one-year scholarships to 31 elementary school students in East Java province.

On top of the scholarships, which amount to Rp 500,000 per student, the association has also awarded scholarships to five elementary school students to allow them to take three-month English courses.

Shannon Smith, an education, science and training counselor at the Australian Embassy, said that the scholarships would help the children in continuing their studies. "Education is the key to a student's future," said Shannon during the scholarships award ceremony recently.

The alumni association has been raising money for scholarships for poor elementary school students since 2002. -- JP