Fuel subsidy savings go to poor students<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of National Education, which has
\nsecured Rp 673.4 billion from the state's fuel subsidy reduction,
\nwill spend most of the funds in financing the education of 3.6
\nmillion poor students.<\/p>\n
Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin announced on
\nThursday that some of the Rp 608.4 billion would also be
\nallocated to 3,500 elementary schools, 2,030 junior high schools
\nand 685 senior high schools all over the country that needed to
\nimprove their educational facilities. The fund would cover the
\nrecipients' needs for a six-month period.<\/p>\n
"The students and the schools will receive the support in
\nSeptember," he said.<\/p>\n
He pledged that the disbursement and use of the aid would be
\nclosely monitored by his ministry, the project's regional
\ncommittee and also the public.<\/p>\n
The government reduced the fuel subsidy last month.<\/p>\n
Addressing the participants of a workshop at his office, Yahya
\nadded that the project would be integrated with the ministry's
\nannual social safety net, which gives scholarships and supports
\nschools' operations for the poor.<\/p>\n
Those to receive the special funds are limited to students
\nfrom first-grade to fourth-grade at elementary schools, and the
\nfirst-grade students of junior and senior high schools.<\/p>\n
Students of the other grades are recipients of the ministry's
\nsocial safety net program.<\/p>\n
The ministry has earmarked Rp 60,000 for each of the 2.2
\nmillion elementary students, while each of the 1 million junior
\nhigh school students will receive twice that amount. A total of
\n400,000 high school students will get Rp 150,000 each.<\/p>\n
Another Rp 15 billion from the fuel subsidy savings will also
\nbe allocated to 8,600 selected poor university students and more
\nthan 7,200 others who have been victims of rioting or conflicts
\noccurring in several regions of the country.<\/p>\n
The remaining Rp 50 billion will be disbursed to students and
\ntutors of the government's informal education that is offered to
\nilliterates and also as support for street children.<\/p>\n
However, Yahya said, the ministry was still looking for the
\nright target and the right institution to manage and to oversee
\nthe allocation of the funds for the street children, since there
\nhad yet to be reliable data on their numbers.<\/p>\n
"We're still working with the National Board of Social Welfare
\n(BKSN) and non-governmental organizations concerned with the
\nissue to find a way of measuring this systematically," he told
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
He also revealed that another Rp 160 billion of the fuel
\nsubsidy savings that had been earmarked for the ministry of
\nreligion would also be integrated into the program to help
\nfinance 819 Islamic schools and their students.<\/p>\n
"Hopefully this program will continue in January 2002 as there
\nare still more than 1 million students who have dropped out of
\nschool, either because they cannot afford it or because they live
\nin conflict-torn regions," Yahya remarked.<\/p>\n
The state budget for education for the year of 2001 is Rp 13
\ntrillion. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fuel-subsidy-savings-go-to-poor-students-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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