Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X has said that his administration will cover the living expenses of students from Cianjur District, West Java, who are studying in Yogyakarta.

In the yard of the Yogyakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency’s office on Friday, he said that he had a ‘by name, by address’ list of 107 students from Cianjur whose parents were affected by the earthquake and were, therefore, unable to support their children in Yogyakarta.

“I urged for that to be resolved immediately. If not, what would they eat?” Hamengku Buwono X said.

He also urged campuses in Yogyakarta to assist students with their tuition fee payment.

“We are usually the ones who (cover) living expenses, like disaster victims elsewhere, so that the 107 students won’t drop out,” he said.

The number of Cianjur students could increase since the data is still being collected, he added.

“Those who are Cianjur residents who study at campuses in Yogyakarta and whose parents have indeed been struck by disaster may register,” he said.

Meanwhile, head of the Yogyakarta Social Affairs Office, Endang Patmintarsih, said that her office is still collecting data on students from Cianjur in Yogyakarta.

Based on an assessment of the 107 students, the impact of the quake on their families has varied from damage to homes to the death of family members.

The Yogyakarta government has allocated funding from the regional budget to cover the tuition fee and living expenses of these students, she said.

Although the amount has yet to be determined, the students will receive financial assistance every month from December 2022 for the next six months, she informed.

“They must not be unable to eat. The plan is in the form of monthly money. The amount of assistance has not been (determined),” she said.

Source: Antara News