$189m for business training for the poor

JAKARTA (JP): The government has linked up with private universities across the country to provide training on entrepreneurship to the poor, a senior official said yesterday.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the National Family Planning Board, the Ministry of Education and Culture and private universities in September last year.

Planning board chairman Haryono Suyono said the program aimed to develop and encourage entrepreneurship among low income groups and increase the role of women in development.

Haryono said the program was expected to help raise their living standards and self-reliance while the university students could apply their knowledge in the field and gain work experience.

He said the government allocated Rp 450 billion (US$189 million) for the project that would last until the year 2004.

He said once successful, participants would be rewarded with a certificate and offered access to bank credit.

Haryono said in addition to the funding, President Soeharto had approved from Rp 300 billion to 400 billion annually to be channeled through non-budgetary expenditures to rural inhabitants.

The program would teach applied sciences, simple management, practical skills development, preparing for entrepreneurship and internship, he said.

He urged entrepreneurs to remain on the alert for opportunities, challenges and continuous innovation.

Indonesia's low income earners total 22 million while two- thirds of the country's workforce was unemployed and the remaining one-third was employed, Haryono said.

Another speaker, director of private universities, Joetata Hadihardaya said a total of 1.5 million students and a total of 100,000 professors from state and private universities throughout Indonesia would also participate in the program. (01)