Riau to send students to U.S., Japan

PEKANBARU, Riau: In order to improve the quality of its human resources, the Riau administration is to send 24 high school graduates on a scholarship program to the U.S. and Japan for undergraduate degrees.

The administration will provide all tuition fees and living costs, calculated at Rp 4.66 billion (US$548,235) for the duration of their studies.

"The money will be taken from the 2003 provincial budget," the Riau governor told reporters on Thursday.

After completing their studies, the students were obligated to return home and help the provincial government in developing Riau, said the governor.

The administration plans on allocating Rp 5.5 billion in its 2004 provincial budget to finance the next group of select students to pursue undergraduate studies in Japan. -- Antara