Kemendagri, or the Ministry of Home Affairs, conducted a coordination meeting in Jakarta. This meeting discusses the Papuan student scholarship. The utilization of Otsus or Special Autonomy Fund becomes the main topic of this discussion.
Wamendagri, John Wempi Wetipo led this meeting that was held in the meeting room of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This meeting aims to overcome the payment problem of Papua superior students’ scholarships.
Several stakeholders and provincial governments attend this meeting. For instance, the governors and provincial secretaries of all provinces in Papua participate in this coordination meeting.
Additionally, the Ministry of Finance, Home Affairs, and Development Planning Agency representatives also come to this meeting.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs also invited the parents of Papuan students who receive the scholarship.
The Objectives of the Meeting
Then, what is the purpose of this discussion? The main objective of this coordination is to find a solution for the Papua superior students scholarship. The government is concerned with seeking a way to overcome this scholarship problem.
Agus Fatoni, the General Director of Regional Financial Development, stated that the government has conducted several meetings regarding this issue. Various parties participated in this meeting. For example, the participants are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Legal and Human Rights, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bappenas.
Other parties involved in this meeting are the provincial government of Papua, the government of new provinces in Papua, and the scholarship organizer.
Finally, the meeting finds a way to solve the debt of scholarships for Papuan students. The agreement shows that the Papua provincial government will pay for this debt.
So, the payment will be taken from the Papua APBD for the 2023 Fiscal Year. The provincial government has to complete the payment before April 2023.
The Continuation of Papuan Student Scholarship Program
The purpose of the Otsus scholarship program is to provide financial assistance to Papuan students to pursue their education at a higher stage. The program has been successful in helping many students who study at universities.
However, the scholarship payment issue becomes a constant challenge. The scholarship awardee should not worry about the continuation of this program.
The meeting attended by the government and related stakeholders decided that the program will go on. So, the provincial government agreed to pay the debt of scholarship payment using APBD. Then, the payment for the next year will also be funded by the provincial government’s budget.
The awarded students can continue their studies without thinking about the tuition fee. It is because the scholarship budget for the Papuan students fund will become the responsibility of the provincial government of Papua, West Papua, Central Papua, South Papua, and Papua Pegunungan.
Verification and Validation Process
Papua’s provincial government must follow up and report the scholarship payment to the Minister of Home Affairs.
The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs also stated that the provincial government can submit the report through the General Director of Regional Financial Development and the General Inspector of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The result of this important meeting is written in minutes. Then, all participants of the meeting sign this agreement. Papuan students who get the scholarship also receive this data. So they will not worry about the scholarship payment.
All parties verify and validate this agreement. These parties include the provincial and regional governments in Papua and the representatives of relevant institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Bappenas.
In conclusion, the payment problem for Papuan student scholarship has been a significant challenge for many students. But finally, the government can solve this problem. The decision to pay the scholarship using APBD has provided much-needed relief. The resolution of the problem demonstrates the government’s commitment to supporting education.
