Illiteracy up by 250,000 annually

Illiteracy up by 250,000 annually

JAKARTA: Illiterates in the country are increasing by 250,000 people annually due to a large number of children dropping out of elementary schools.

Director General for Extracurricular Activities and Sports at the Ministry of National Education Fasli Jalal said on Wednesday that the government had allocated Rp 30 billion (US$3.3 million) this year to give scholarships to the dropouts.

"We plan give Rp 120,000 annually to 250,000 children so that they can return to school," he said.

The scholarship fund was part of the Rp 50 billion earmarked for extracurricular programs from the compensation funds to help the poor weather the increase of fuel prices, he added.

There are currently around 18.6 million illiterate people in the country. -- Antara