Indonesia to Get Rp4 Trillion in Education Grants from EU

Jakarta Globe, May 27, 2010

4 trillion rupiah has been allocated by the EU to develop Indonesia's education sector. (Photo Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

Yogyakarta. Indonesia will receive Rp 4 trillion in grants from the European Union (EU) and Australia to develop its education sector, a minister said.

“The grants will consist of 200 million euros from the European Union and Aus$200 million from Australia,” State Minister for National Development Planning Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana said following a bilateral meeting with the EU Commission for Development here on Wednesday.

The grants would be channeled for four years starting 2010, he said. Armida said the EU had agreed to channel the grants as budget support, “so the grants are not a project for the elementary education sector but will be taken to the state budget.”

In 2010 alone, EU will channel 45 million euros of the grants, he said.

“The rest will be channeled in stages,” he said. Director of Multilateral Overseas Funding at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Dewo BJ Putranto said it was entirely up to Indonesia to decide what activities are to be funded by the EU grants.

“In the first year the grants will be used to support the education sector to achieve the goals of the Ministry of National Education’s strategic plans,” he said.

Antara