Australia Awards South and West Asia

Australia Awards alumna Ashani Abayasekara presented a paper on School resources and educational outcomes, at the Australasian Development Economics Workshop (ADEW), held at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, in June 2018. Sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), ADEW is an annual workshop that brings together development economists in Australia and internationally. The event provides a forum for rigorous research in the field of development economics, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region, and presenters are selected through a competitive process.

Ashani says, “ADEW 2018 was a fascinating experience, where I got the opportunity to listen to researchers from around the Asia Pacific region and beyond, working on development economics covering a wide range of areas, including poverty, inequality, education, migration, energy and much more. It was also a great opportunity to network and build connections.”

Ashani received an Australia Awards Scholarship in 2015 where she undertook a Master of International and Development Economics at ANU. She was awarded the Helen Hughes Prize for International and Development Economics for the best overall aggregate results.

This is yet another example of the positive impact of Australia Awards, and how alumni are maintaining positive linkages with Australians and Australian organisations.