MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
I am pleased to announce funding for 11 projects,
that will link Australian and South African higher education institutions under
the Australia-South Africa Institutional Links Program.
AusAID will provide $1.65 million to fund this second
round of linkage projects. All of the projects will contribute to the social and
economic reconstruction objectives of the South African Government, particularly
poverty alleviation and redressing educational disadvantage.
One of the projects funded under the Program will
benefit the Eastern Cape, one of South Africa's poorest provinces, where forty
per cent of primary school teachers are unqualified. Through the project the
University of South Australia will share its expertise with the University of
Fort Hare to help East Cape teachers and teacher educators upgrade their
teaching and management skills to cope with large classes in poor conditions.
The project will produce better-qualified and more effective primary school
teachers, 75 per cent of whom are women, directly benefiting students in poor
rural schools.
The other ten projects funded in this round focus on
community development and institutional strengthening in:
- primary health care;
- environmental education and research including
improvement of rural water quality; - teaching and learning skills, especially in
science and mathematics; - youth workers; and
- women in management.
The Australian institutions awarded Links projects
are: the Canberra Institute of Technology, Curtin University of Technology,
Deakin University (in association with Griffith University), Griffith
University, Kangan Batman Institute of TAFE, Macquarie University (in
association with the NSW Adult Migrant and English Services), the Open Training
and Education Network (in association with the University of Newcastle), the
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, South Sydney Institute of TAFE (in
association with the University of Technology, Sydney), the University of
Melbourne and the University of South Australia.
Media contacts:
Judi Nixon (Mrs Sullivan's
Office) 0411 287 258 / 07 5591 1011
Deborah Nesbitt (AusAID) 02 6206 4966