281 students get Rp 39m in scholarship assistance

JAKARTA (JP): More than Rp 39 million (US$16,624) in scholarship assistance was given to 281 students by the University of Indonesia's Civil Servant Wives Organization during a ceremony held yesterday in the university's conference center.

The organization's chairwoman, Umi Tadjudin, wife of the university rector M.K. Tadjudin, said in her speech that the scholarships have been granted annually since 1981 to the children of low-ranking civil servants in the university. The fund was raised from donations by the university's alumni, she said.

The 281 scholarship recipients were 132 elementary school students, 77 junior high school students, and 72 senior high school students. The elementary school students received Rp 80,000,($34.10) each, the junior high school students Rp 110,000 each ($46.88)and senior high school students Rp 140,000 ($59.67) each respectively.

Suparto, father of one of the students to receive a scholarship, told The Jakarta Post that as a driver at the university he really appreciated this annual program.

"My son has received this scholarship four times since he was in his second grade. It has really motivated him to keep up his good work all year," he said.

The university's spokesperson, Tjiptaningsih Hadiwiryo, separately told reporters that the program was also in line with the government's foster-parent drive.

The national foster-parent drive was launched by President Soeharto on May 29 this year. The government also established the National Foster Parent Drive Committee to generate funds from the public to send six million more children to school.

In Jakarta alone around 30,000 students of low-income bracket families need foster parents this year.

Any individual who wishes to become a "foster parent" is required to donate at least Rp 60,000 a year through the committee's saving account, No. 31.51.17845 at Bank Rakyat Indonesia. (26)