410,000 Private Campus Students Will Get Ministry Of Education And Culture Assistance In The Middle Of The COVID-19 Event

Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) will provide assistance to 410,000 private university students (PTS) in the midst of the COVID-19 event.

Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, said the aid budget came from the remaining allocation of Rp. 4.1 trillion for the university scholarship program.

This provision is also outside of Permendikbud 25/2020 which will be issued. The reason is that the Permendikbud only regulates the provision of assistance to pay single tuition fees (UKT) for university students (PTN) whose campuses are funded by the state budget.

"We have allocated Rp1 trillion in student UKT assistance funds which will be used for private university students," said Nadiem in a press conference broadcast online on the Ministry of Education and Culture's YouTube account, Friday, June 19.

He explained that this assistance should be given to private university students. This is because many students are considered vulnerable to failing because they do not pay their UKT. Apart from students, the economic impact in the middle of this early morning is vulnerable to private campus institutions.

"Their funding is from student UKT. So it is not only students who are vulnerable but the institutions are also vulnerable," he said.

Thus, the Rp.1 trillion allocation fund will later be used to help pay UKT for students who are in certain semesters and are considered vulnerable because of their financial conditions.

The requirements for students who can get assistance from the Ministry of Education and Culture are not new students, and do not receive other scholarship assistance. The goal is to avoid overlapping in the assistance received by these students.

"The grid of criteria, first they have financial status constraints and their status cannot be financed by college KIP," he said.

"So there is no overlap with the KIP college program or other programs and it is prioritized for private universities and conducting lectures in semesters 3, 5, and 7. So this is for existing students. Not new students," he added.

Previously, Nadiem said he would issue Permendikbud 25/2020. This ministerial regulation will regulate the provision of UKT payment waivers for state university students (PTN).

This relief was given after the Ministry of Education and Culture heard various inputs from students and lecturers. They, said Nadiem, asked the Ministry of Education and Culture to ease their burdens, including, the economic burden caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.