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)