Educational partnerships on the Thai-Burma border

The Refugee Tertiary Education Committee (RTEC) comprises academics and other people committed to providing tertiary education to refugees from Burma living in Thailand. In 2006, RTEC approached the Board of Open Universities Australia (OUA), a consortium of seven Australian universities providing distance and online education. OUA committed 25 scholarships for refugees from Burma to study online in Australian universities. The generous contribution by OUA has initiated negotiations between international organisations, including the Thai authorities in an attempt to open refugee camps to internet and online tertiary education. The developing partnerships between Australian universities, international organisations and the Thai government are an exciting example of educational leadership for diplomatic engagement for social justice.