More low-income scholars at universities

BANDUNG: The number of university students from low-income families has been increasing since 2003, an official from the National Education Ministry said.

Based on ministry data, the number of university students from poor families in 2003 was 0.98 percent of the enrolled. In 2008, the number reached 3 percent and the number jumped to 6 percent in 2009.

Minister Muhammad Nuh said that since 2010, the ministry had been giving scholarships to 20,000 state university students from poor families. He said he hoped to increase the number of recipients to 30,000 students.

The budget allocation for each university student is Rp 500,000 (US$50), with a total budget of Rp 200 billion last year. This year, the budget is estimated to reach Rp 300 billion to Rp 400 billion.

The minister said university students should be helped. He said that the universities not only measured the academic competency of the students but also their academic potential. — JP