Free education programme in Central Papua reaches 64,000 students

The free education programme organised by the Central Papua Provincial Government has reached more than 64,000 pupils and students this year.

Central Papua Governor Meki Nawipa in Nabire on Monday said the programme is the regional government’s effort to ensure that financial constraints do not become a barrier for the public to obtain education.

He said the free education programme is part of the regional government’s commitment to improving access to education while reducing the risk of children dropping out of school due to economic hardship.

He said the funding also covers boarding schools as well as Central Papuan students pursuing education abroad.

For students abroad, the regional government allocates a budget of around Rp30 billion per year through a grant scheme.

He said the expansion of access to education must also be accompanied by an improvement in the quality of teaching staff. For this reason, the regional government provides certification support to teachers as well as additional incentives.

“Over the past two years we have also funded 1,800 teachers to obtain certification, so that teachers can achieve better welfare with additional incentives,” he said.

He expressed hope that all education programmes prepared by the regional government can be utilised optimally by students, university students, teachers and beneficiary schools.

“We want the children of Central Papua to be not only intelligent, but also to possess honesty, integrity, and the spirit to keep progressing,” he said.