KUCHING - Two Australian students who spent six months of their studies in Sarawak are grateful to the Reverse Colombo Plan Scholarship Fund (RCPSF), and have described their stay here as an enriching educational and cultural experience.

Daniel Julian Jurcola and David Mark Scott from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, who were awarded scholarships by RCPSF, arrived in Kuching in February and spent a semester of their double degrees in engineering and science, at Swinburne’s Sarawak Campus.

They returned home to Australia in July.

"(Australian) students who wish to study abroad have the chance to do so by the support of the Reverse Colombo Plan to offset their living expenses," said Jurcola.

"The scholarship programme is also a good way to encourage opportunities in exchange programmes and bring interests to students who may not have the financial support," he said.

"The RCPSF was initiated by the Sarawak government in 2001, with Yayasan Sarawak as the secretariat, in appreciation to Australia for training hundreds of its students under the Colombo Plan," a spokesperson for the Fund said.

The Colombo Plan was established in 1951 and focused on education, sponsored by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the US for the benefit of all the countries of South and Southeast Asia.

Each year, the RCPSF sponsors a number of Australian university students from a semester up to a year to do their studies in Sarawak.

"Since its inception, more than 20 Australian students have done part of their studies in Sarawak," the spokesperson said, adding that the students hail from various universities in Australia.

Swinburne Sarawak alone has hosted 14 students from its Melbourne campus under the programme since 2003. In August, another three Australian students will be arriving to spend a semester at its campus.

Unimas and Curtin University of Technology’s Sarawak Campus in Miri have also hosted some of these students.
"Which university they go to in Sarawak depends on their course. It must also be offered by our universities here," the spokesperson said.

The RCPSF offers Australian students an educational opportunity at a premier university and also to experience our way of life, he said.

"Sarawak is a unique place where you can learn many different languages, local dialects, cultures and the variety of food. It’s something you are unable to learn from in Australia. It’s amazing," Jurcola said.

While many Australian students would choose to study abroad in an English speaking country because they feel uncomfortable with a foreign language, but for Jurcola "it (being in Sarawak) was an incredible experience".

For Scott, his time in Sarawak has been a chance to experience life in the slow lane and it has been an eye-opener.

"The opportunity of studying overseas allows me to enjoy life a little. The pace of life is much more relaxed in Sarawak, so it’s less stressful," he said, adding that he was moved by the warmth of the staff and fellow students at Swinburne Sarawak.

0"It’s an amazing thing to land in a completely different city with national parks and nature so close by, knowing that it is impossible to see in a day trip in Australia," he said, referring to Kuching.
 

Scott (third from left) and Jurcola (fourth from left) with other exchange students
during an excursion organised by the Swinburne Sarawak Student Council (SSSC), recently.
Second from left is SSSC treasurer, Chong Woon Yien.

ENDS
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Media Contact:
David Teng, Communications and PR Executive
Email: dteng@swinburne.edu.my
Tel: +6082 415 353   Fax: +6082 428 353