Thirty-seven Tongan citizens received scholarships to take up university studies starting next year in Australia and the Pacific region.

Fifteen are to pursue post-graduate studies in Australia under an Australia Awards Scholarship, while 22 to take up undergraduate and post-graduate studies in unversities based in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, under an Australia Awards Pacific Scholarships.

The scholarships are diverse and cover a variety of areas from a Masters’ degree in Climate Change, Pharmacy, Commerce and Advanced Nursing Practice to a Bachelors’ degree in Dental Surgery, Public Health, Education among others.

Australian High Commissioner HE Mr Andrew Ford in a farewell reception on November 30 congratulated the recipients.

He said both schemes are to assist Tonga meet its development needs as identified by the Government of Tonga.

The overarching goals of Australia’s development awards to develop capacity, leadership skills so that individuals can contribute to development in their home country and build people to people linkages at the individual, institutional and country level, he said.

Since 1997, more than 400 scholarships were awarded to Tongan students by the Australian Government to undertake long-term higher education.