Access To Education And Health Is Getting Better, HDI In Pontianak City Is The Highest In West Kalimantan

Pontianak Mayor, Edi Rusdi Kamtono (ANTARA)

PONTIANAK - The Mayor of Pontianak, Edi Rusdi Kamtono stated, the Human Development Index (HDI) in the city in 2021 was 79.93 or the highest in West Kalimantan Province.

"Alhamdulillah, the HDI of Pontianak City has increased compared to last year's 79.44, increasing to 79.93 in 2021, making it the highest in West Kalimantan," said Edi Rusdi Kamtono in Pontianak, Antara, Tuesday, November 30.

Edi added that the Pontianak City HDI achievement was above the national average of 72.29. There are several indicators that boost the HDI value in Pontianak City. The first relates to the level of public spending in Pontianak City which increased in 2020.

Second, access to good education and health. Third, the average length of schooling is 11 years and 8 months or almost 12 years of compulsory education.

"This HDI achievement proves the success of the Pontianak City Government (Pemkot) in implementing the vision and mission program carried out," he said.

According to him, the development of the increasing HDI trend is his motivation to achieve even higher, namely the target above 80. Because the HDI is a barometer of success in developing the quality of life of the people in Pontianak City.

In addition, it is also a development target in discussing macro assumptions, especially in the preparation of the APBD, and no less important, as one of the determinants in the General Allocation Fund (DAU) from the central government, including regional incentive funds.

"Hopefully with the economic recovery that we are doing, both infrastructure and other investments can improve the standard of living and economic growth in Pontianak City," said Edi.

Meanwhile, Head of BPS West Kalimantan Province Mohammad Wahyu Yulianto explained, Pontianak City's HDI is indeed the highest in West Kalimantan Province with a value of 79.93 with the hope of reaching 80.

There are several indicators including the health, education component and the highest achievement related to the Pontianak City Government intervention to maintain the level of public spending, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With the intervention to maintain public consumption, it is quite good so that the HDI as an indicator of public expenditure is good," he said.

The existence of the COVID-19 pandemic, of course, has an impact on employment such as unemployment, which is now not only in terms of those who are unemployed due to layoffs, but also in terms of how many hours they work. In the past, the normal week was 35 hours, but with restrictions on working hours, the working hours have been reduced.

"With better conditions, we hope that workers can be active again and in the future indicators such as economic growth will have an impact on reducing unemployment," said Wahyu.

Regarding poverty statistics, the poverty rate calculated by BPS is macro poverty, meaning that it does not refer to by name by address but only sees how big the percentage of the existing poverty level is.

In Pontianak City, the macro poverty rate has decreased due to its approach to public consumption expenditure. The intervention of the Pontianak City Government in maintaining public consumption is carried out so that the poverty level decreases because public consumption is maintained.

"Now what the Pontianak City Government is promoting is related to micro poverty," he said.