Rp 109 billion to help the poor

Rp 109 billion to help the poor

JAKARTA: The Ministry of National Education has received Rp
109 billion from the government to help the poor offset the
impact of fuel price hikes.

The fund is part of Rp 1 trillion that the ministry received
to cushion the impact on poor people of the government's decision
to reduce the fuel subsidy.

The ministry's director general of youth and informal
education, Fasli Djalal, said on Wednesday the money would be
used to finance educational programs in 300 community learning
centers, packages of nine-year basic education for 250,000
illiterate adults, vocational training and to finance lessons for
street children at 120 shelters.

The government has allocated about Rp 2.85 trillion this year
in sectors such as health, education, food and social welfare to
compensate for the subsidy cut. --JP