Are You A Student In East Kotawaringin? Must Know, Regency Government Allocates IDR 1 Billion For Assistance

Halikinnor Regent witnessed the tradition of welcoming guests, namely 'lawang sakepeng' when he visited Pasir Putih Village, Mentawa Baru District, Ketapang/ANTARA

KOTAWARINGIN TIMUR - The East Kotawaringin Regency Government, Central Kalimantan, has allocated a budget of Rp. 1 billion to help students continue their studies in the midst of the sluggish economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have helped Rp1 billion for students for tuition fees because so many of our residents have dropped out or are terminal, so they don't graduate just because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and don't have the money," said Halikinnor Regent in Sampit, Antara, Monday, July 18. .

The assistance has been budgeted in the district budget. This scholarship is a manifestation of the local government's commitment to improving the human resources of the next generation in this area.

He acknowledged that the district government's authority in the field of education is only at the PAUD to SMP levels, while the high school and college levels are the obligations of the provincial government and the central government.

However, the local government still feels the need to be responsible for helping the next generation of this area who wants to study higher. It is natural for the local government to help, especially if the student is outstanding and indeed comes from a poor family.

Halikinnor said that the pandemic that has also hit this area since March 2020 has had a huge impact on the community's economy. This condition is also expected to have an impact on the ability of parents to pay for their children's education.

For this reason, the local government seeks to help ease the burden on the community. The hope is that sons and daughters in this area do not drop out of college.

Through this budget, the allocation of scholarships given is greater than the amount that has been disbursed so far. The local government wants scholarship recipient students to be able to really focus on studying to achieve achievements without worrying about costs because everything can be handled through scholarships from the local government.

"We have helped each person Rp10 million because the Gate Mentaya scholarship assistance so far has only been more than Rp1 million. If it is now Rp10 million, that is enough so that parents just have to prepare the costs for food and other needs, while for college everything can be financed from that assistance, ' said Halikinnor.