A pilot phase of the plan began earlier this year in two ASEAN member nations, Indonesia and Singapore, along with two other Asian destinations, Japan and Hong Kong (China).
Under the Plan, more than 1,300 Australian students are being supported by their government to study in the Asia Pacific region and Indian Ocean, with over half of them heading to Southeast Asia.
Bishop said in a statement that the agreement of ASEAN member nations to take part in the programme will give young people in her country more opportunities to learn from their Southeast Asian neighbours. The Australian Government has decided to earmark AUD100 million (nearly US$93 million) for the programme.
From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the original Colombo Plan brought tens of thousands of students from Southeast Asia to study in Australia.
