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The Summer Fellowship Award Program, RPPL 8-43 2012

AN ACT

To establish a summer internship program administered by the Palau National Scholarship Office to encourage Palauan students who study abroad to return to Palau and serve as leaders in our community, and for other related purposes.

THE PEOPLE OF PALAU REPRESENTED IN THE OLBIIL ERA KELULAU DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Legislative Findings. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that each year, over one million ($1,000,000) dollars in scholarships and loans are invested by the national government into the education of the Republic=s students; in addition to numerous outside grants and scholarships from governments and organizations including the United States of America, Japan, Republic of China and Australia. However, despite these major investments, many of these students being funded by the Republic are choosing to pursue careers and settle down outside of Palau. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that the Republic needs these high achieving Palauan students to return and become leaders in all sectors of the community. As such, the Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that it is now appropriate to begin investing in efforts to bring these highly educated Palauan students back to the Republic to serve as leaders in our community.

The Olbiil Era Kelulau recognizes that along with the reason of higher wages offered outside of the Republic, students fail to return because they often feel that there is a shortage of attractive work opportunities within the Republic. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that students in college, given the opportunity to return to Palau to work with an organization for a summer, will find the needed inspiration and incentive to return home after obtaining their degrees. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that the cost of airfare and a stipend for a summer internship in Palau is a necessary investment that the Republic must commit to, as one way to encourage highly educated Palauan students to return home. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that fellowship programs such as this must be established to ensure that the Republic produces and retains well educated Palauan leaders for our community. The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that this program will also greatly benefit agencies in the Republic in increasing their capacity, by essentially providing them with highly educated and high performing Palauan students.

Section 2. Amendment. Title 22 of the Palau National Code is hereby amended to replace Section 230 as follows:

A' 230. Summer Fellowship Program.

(a) Policy and Purpose. The Summer Fellowship Program is to encourage potential leaders to return to Palau. It will allow students to return for a summer before their last year of college or university and become familiar with the current issues and job opportunities that they may wish to participate in once they return home after obtaining their degree. The ultimate goal of this program is to ensure that the Republic produces and retains well educated Palauan leaders for our community. In administering this program, the Palau National Scholarship Board will foster lasting relationships between these future leaders and the Palauan community and provide students with a mechanism to transition into the Republic=s workforce after completing their education. This Summer Fellowship Program will also in effect assist agencies in the Republic in building their capacity by providing them with highly educated and high performing Palauan employees.

(b) There is hereby established a scholarship, to be known as Athe Summer Fellowship Award@ and it shall be the duty and responsibility of the Board to:

(1) implement the policy declared by this subchapter;

(2) award the Summer Fellowship Awards to each recipient for the summer preceding the recipient=s final year of college or university;

(3) determine the appropriate sum to award each Summer Fellowship Award recipient. The Summer Fellowship Award shall be an amount that, at a minimum, can provide for airfare and a stipend;

(4) select scholarship recipients based on criteria declared by this subchapter and determined by the Board in accordance with this subchapter; and

(5) determine whether an agency qualifies as an employer for a recipient of the Summer Fellowship Award based on criteria declared by this subchapter and determined by the Board in accordance with this subchapter.

(c) The Board will select as the ASummer Fellowship Award@ recipients, students about to enter their last year of college or university, from a college or university outside of Palau, as determined by the Board based on criteria which shall include, but are not limited to the following:

(1) the Cumulative Grade Point Average. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, any student applying for the ASummer Fellowship Award@ must either a) have maintained a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.0 or b) have maintained a cumulative grade point average of not less than 2.5 and demonstrated high potential to be a future leader in the community, at the discretion of the Board; and

(2) a summer internship plan approved by the Board. In order to qualify, any student applying for the ASummer Fellowship Award@ must have a summer internship plan completed between the student and the qualified agency in Palau that the student will be working with while in Palau during that summer. The Board shall establish the criteria for this required summer internship plan. The Board shall determine whether an agency qualifies to be an employer of a recipient of this Summer Fellowship Award based on criteria established by the Board, which shall include the agency=s understanding of the purpose of the program.

(d) Each Summer Fellowship Award recipient must submit to the Board a written report at the end of his or her internship prior to receiving the final installment of his or her Summer Fellowship Award. The Board shall establish the criteria for this required final report.@

Section 3. Repealer. Section 230 of Title 22 of the Palau National Code is hereby repealed in its entirety and replaced in accordance with this Act.

Section 4. Effective Date. This Act shall take effect upon its approval by the President or upon its becoming law without such approval, except as otherwise provided by law.

PASSED: May 03, 2012

Approved this 18th day of May , 2012.

/s/
Johnson Toribiong
President
Republic of Palau