WB chief awards local education team

WB chief awards local education team

JAKARTA (JP): The education team of Indonesia's social safety
net program has been given a special honor by the World Bank for
its work in keeping four million students in school.

World Bank president James Wolfensohn presented the award on
Saturday to the 20-member team at a ceremony held at the Ministry
of Education.

"It is clear to us that the project you are engaged in here
has affected the lives of many of your children," Wolfensohn said
in his speech.

The World Bank presents an annual award for successful teams
around the world which have favorably implemented various safety
net programs.

The Indonesian education team's award was among the six
presented throughout the world.

According to the World Bank, the education sector of the
social safety net program has helped secure education for four
million Indonesian school children in 132,000 locations across
the country in the 1998/1999 fiscal year.

An independent monitoring agency also reported almost 90
percent of the recipients originated from poor families.

"For this extraordinary effort, we are very happy to
participate by donating US$500 million in the form of a loan,"
Wolfensohn said.

He lauded the recognition shown toward the education sector,
saying that it was important to invest in the country's future.

Wolfensohn was on a four-day visit to Indonesia.

While government officials have welcomed his arrival here,
several non-governmental organizations have held loud protests,
claiming that the World Bank is merely propelling Indonesia into
more debt.

During a visit to Bandung, West Java, on Friday, Wolfensohn
was again met with a noisy demonstration.

But the World Bank president brushed off the protest.

"You should never worry about protests. We have a good feeling
about our partnership and we are looking forward to continuing
the work."

Minister of Education Yahya Muhaimin said the key to the
team's success was the assistance and participation of the local
community.

"The project also applied a flexible system which could
respond to the needs of every location," he added.

The World Bank has again allocated some $500 million for the
education sector in the social safety net program for this year.

Yahya expressed hope that the award, which is proof that the
World Bank's assistance is being efficiently put to good use,
would continue to extend further assistance in the future.

"I am planning to set up a library in each subdistrict and
each state school in the country. I hope the World Bank will help
the program," he added.(04)