NESLI has extended a unique scholarship to St Anthony’s International School (SAIS) in Dili, Timor-Leste.
The scholarship, which provides SAIS with a fully paid enrolment in NESLI’s Deputy Principals Leadership Colloquium, is seen as an important step in developing the leadership capacity of the recently established school, which has grown from just four students in 2016 to over 100 in 2018.
As a member of the Association of Independent Schools Northern Territory, SAIS is the first of its kind to operate outside of the Northern Territory. It runs an Australian-based curriculum and is focussed on providing its students with a quality international education that prepares them for a global future.
According to SAIS Director Cristina Costa Ribero, the full scholarship for the Colloquium will make a huge difference to how the school leads strategically. “Our primary goal has always been to give children in Timor-Leste a quality education. The NESLI scholarship means that we can provide a senior staff member with the skills they need to successfully run a growing school,” she said.
As a developing nation with a rapidly changing social and political landscape, Timor-Leste has an ongoing need for leadership programs such as those provided by NESLI. As the country works to establish robust training and education resources, there is a significant need for both financial and school leadership assistance.
According to Paul Mears, Program Director at NESLI, the scholarship represents NESLI’s firm commitment to improving education around the globe.
“We are thrilled to offer this scholarship to a leader within SAIS. They will learn the vital components of school-context leadership excellence, such as adaptive leadership, how to influence others and leading innovation. Perhaps even more importantly, the successful scholarship recipient will also be able to network and collaborate with other school leaders from around Australia throughout the program,” he said.
As the first and only Timorese school of its kind, SAIS is already setting new standards in Timor-Leste’s developing education sector. The school welcomes support from international partners, and looks forward to an on-going relationship with NESLI.
More information about NESLI: