The Government of Indonesia Encourages Education for Poor Children

04 May 2015

The Government of Indonesia (GoI) has broadened the scope of its educational grants through the Smart Indonesia Programme. With wider coverage, GoI is looking to bring poor children who have dropped out of school back into the education system. Sri Kusumastuti Rahayu, Head of Cluster 1 Working Group, National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) conveyed this message at a media briefing facilitated by TNP2K in Surabaya (30/04).

“This education grant is expected to help both poor students who are currently enrolled as well as those who may have dropped out, to continue their education,” said Sri Kusumastuti Rahayu.

The Smart Indonesia Programme aims to help children from poor households maintain access to continuous education through to senior high school. It also aims to reduce the number of drop-outs and to encourage children no longer enrolled in school to return to the education system. The Ministries of Education and Culture (MoEC) and Religious Affairs (MoRA) will distribute the Smart Indonesia Cards (Kartu Indonesia Pintar; KIP) to the beneficiaries.

Prof. Dr. Agus Sartono, Deputy for Education and Religious Affairs, Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Culture stated that the KIP would be distributed gradually, once the updating and data validation processes had been completed. “Those who have not yet received the KIP can still receive grants as long as the programme requirements are met,” said Prof. Dr. Sartono.

According to Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Bafadal M.Pd, Director of Elementary Development, MoEC, the education ministry in collaboration with MoRA has established several criteria for KIP beneficiaries, including: (i) having received the Cash Transfers for Poor Students (Bantuan Siswa Miskin; BSM), (ii) holding a Social Protection Card (Kartu Perlindungan Sosial; KPS – distributed before 2014), (iii) children from households with Family Welfare Cards (Kartu Keluarga Sejahtera; KKS) who have not as yet benefited from the BSM programme, (iv) children from households which are Conditional Cash Transfers for Poor Families (Program Keluarga Harapan; PKH) programme beneficiaries, (v) children in orphanages, (vi) students from Koran-reading classes in Islamic Boarding Schools, (vii) those at risk of dropping out of school due to economic hardship, and (viii) school drop-outs.

Ir. Harris Iskandar, Ph. D., Director for Senior High School Development, MoEC, explained that children who meet the above-stated criteria would receive the KIP educational grant as long as they were enrolled in a formal or non-formal educational institution. “Once enrolled they will be listed as beneficiaries of the Smart Indonesia Programme. Upon approval from the government, the students will begin to receive their grants,”said Harris.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Nur Kholis Setiawan, Director for Islamic Education, MoRA, further explained that in addition to reaching out to students at public and Islamic schools, the programme also sought to reach students at non-formal educational institutions including: Study Group Package A, B and C, training agencies registered with MoEC and MoRA and Islamic Boarding Schools. “Students who are registered in Koran-reading classes at Islamic Boarding Schools (aged 16-21 years old) will also receive the KIP, given that all other programme requirements are met. This year, GoI will distribute the KIP to 11.3 million children in primary (and equivalent) school, 5.2 million children in junior high (and equivalent) school and 3.8 million children in senior high (and equivalent) school,” said Nur Kholis.

The media gathering follows a series of similar events held earlier in Jakarta and Makassar. The events, facilitated by TNP2K include a radio campaign with 3 national radio stations that cover 114 districts/cities, distribution of posters at strategic locations, and school visits (public and Islamic schools) in 110 districts/cities. TNP2K is also facilitating the dissemination of information to all programme implementers and KPS/KKS households through the use of Short Message Service (SMS).