Economic crisis affects students

Economic crisis affects students

MALANG, East Java: With the economic crisis far from over,
more than 35 percent of the students at state-run Brawijaya
University here are relying on scholarships to continue their
studies, the university rector, Eka Afnan Troena, said.

Eka said on Wednesday that the students, about 8,000,
received scholarships from various sources, including the central
bank and state-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia.

"We have sought every avenue to find donors for needy but
brilliant students. We have also exempted 280 of the students
from school fees," Eka told Antara.

The university also allows some students to pay their school
fees in installments over six months.

The protracted recession is also affecting younger students,
with the mayoralty's education and culture office expecting up to
half of the students below university age to face the possibility
of dropping out.

"It's possible that this figure will increase in the wake of
massive layoffs and the early retirement of workers here," the
head of the office, Sofwan, said.