Bank pays for 9 students' first year of college

Theresia Sufa, Bogor

Nine students, whose high grades saw them accepted into the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) for the new academic year but who could not afford the fees, have received financial aid from Bank Danamon for their first year of college.

Rimbawan, the director of student affairs at the institute, told the press on Monday that the bank had agreed to provide a total of Rp 86.175 million (US$9,575) for the nine students.

"We received news from Bank Danamon last Wednesday that it would finance the nine students for the whole academic year," he said.

Each student will receive Rp 9,575,000, which will cover the Rp 1.5 million tuition fees for two semesters, Rp 900,000 dormitory accommodation plus a Rp 375,000 deposit and other fees amounting to Rp 400,000 to secure their admission to IPB.

On top of that, the bank will also pay Rp 100,000 in building renovation fees for each student. Renovation fees vary from Rp 100,000 to Rp 3 million, depending on a student's financial condition.

"We would also like to request that the bank cover their Rp 350,000 per month per person allowance and Rp 150,000 per month per person for academic expenses," Rimbawan said.

"Since the financial aid is only for a year, the IPB will look for other sponsors to enable them to continue their studies. It might not be difficult since they are smart students."

Rimbawan said the nine students, not 10 as previously reported, would be called to the campus early August, while a modest welcome ceremony would be prepared for them.

The institute initially sent letters to the regents and mayors of the students' hometowns, asking them to sponsor the students. However, it did not receive a response from the respective regents or mayors, the institute's deputy rector Yusuf Sudohadi said.

"We expect the nine students to join other students who were admitted to IPB without testing early next month," he said.

The nine students -- who come from various provinces nationwide, including Lampung, Jakarta, West Java, East Java and Central Java -- had earlier sent letters to the institute, saying they could not register because they did not have the money.

Similar cases have occurred every year at IPB. Last year, about 10 would-be students also told the institute that they were unable to accept places in the institute due to financial constraints. The institute managed to find them donors, including Darryl Lund, a lecturer at Wisconsin University in the U.S., who donated US$1,000 to the institute.

For the 2004/2005 academic year, the institute has admitted 2,370 new students without requiring them to undergo admission tests based on their academic achievements at high school. From that figure, only 1,930, or 81.43 percent, have shown up.