Head of the Funding Service Center, Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry Abdul Kahar urged local governments to monitor implementation of the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) and Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) for Higher Education.
“Since 2015, when PIP was launched, we always conduct dissemination of information and improve its distribution pattern, so students can avail the program based on the criteria,” Kahar remarked here on Thursday.
He reminded that PIP is granted to students of poor and vulnerable-to-poverty families.
According to Kahar, local governments and higher education institutions are tasked with helping to monitor the implementation of both programs to be on target. Hence, sound communication across stakeholders should be continued.
“For instance, bank partners can communicate with the education office to conduct verification (the data of students in need). Map it out, where we need to directly go there. We must monitor the program together, so children of poor and vulnerable families can receive education,” he affirmed.
The funding of PIP, from the Ministry’s Directorate General of Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary Education, is given to students of elementary/elementary-level special education/Package A at Rp450 thousand, students of junior high schools/secondary-level special education/Package B at Rp750 thousand, and for high school/vocational high schools at Rp1 million.
“For the KIP for Higher Education, the unit price is adjusted to each region’s condition since 2021. The fund for organizing education (activities) is directly transferred to the varsities’ account, and daily allowance to live is directly sent to the accounts of (recipients),” he remarked.
Meanwhile, House of Representatives’ member Ferdiansyah urged local governments, the ministry, distributor banks, education units, and stakeholders to cooperate on the implementation of PIP and KIP for Higher Education.
“This must be accountable. Do not let there be (unauthorized) charges. PIP and KIP are expected to prevent students from dropping out, and bring them back to continue their education,” he affirmed.
Source: Antara News