Riau to send students to U.S., Japan

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