House urges education ministry provide funds, migrant worker training

The House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health, manpower and transmigration urges the National Education Ministry to provide funds for education and training for Indonesian migrant workers, especially during the moratorium of sending workers to Saudi Arabia.

“The government should allocate funds for education and training for Indonesian migrant workers, during the implementation of the moratorium,” a member of the commission, Chusnunia, said in a press release on Tuesday.

The moratorium of sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia will be effective on Aug.1.

Chusnunia said the commission proposed an allocation for migrant workers as the Finance Ministry planned to raise the National Education Ministry budget by almost Rp 14.5 trillion (US$1.6 billion) in the proposed revision to the 2011 state budget. The raise will increase the National Education Ministry budget to more than Rp 262 trillion.

Chusnunia said the government was responsible for providing training for migrant workers.

“The law on migrant workers stipulates that our migrant workers must have proper education and work training,” Chusnunia said.

She added that the government should provide more employment with sufficient income, so citizen did not have to become migrant workers.(rcf)