By: Ilham Kurnia )*
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the economy in Indonesia. This condition makes it difficult for students to pay tuition fees, because their parents experience a financial decline as a result of being laid off by the company. The government helps them to go to college again, by disbursing funds of up to 1 trillion.
The economic condition of this country has not yet risen due to being hit by the corona storm. The crisis in the health sector has an effect on the economy. Not only the small people who screamed, but also the middle class whose businesses were quiet or were fired from the company. This condition has an effect on their children who go to college, because of the difficulty when paying single tuition fees.
The government is trying to save the future of the students by providing a single tuition grant through the Ministry of Education and Culture. A total of 419,605 students will be given 2.4 million rupiahs. The total budget issued by the government is IDR 1.007 trillion, and most of it is for private campuses.
Professor Ir. Nizam, Dijen Dikti of the Ministry of Education and Culture stated that the government does not want campuses to be closed, because no students return there (because there are no funds). Therefore, assistance has been provided for hundreds of thousands of students throughout Indonesia. Don’t let them drop out of college and only have a high school diploma.
According to Abdul Kahar, Head of the Education Financing Service Center of the Ministry of Education and Culture, students who will receive assistance are those who study in semesters 3.5 and 7 and their family’s economy is affected by the corona virus. In addition, they have never received assistance from the government in the form of the Smart Indonesia Card.
Student tuition fees or what is now known as single tuition fees are not like 10 or 20 years ago which were beaten flat. Now the amount of UKT depends on the salary of parents. The greater the income, the higher the UKT. But when their parents have to be sent home during a pandemic, it will be very difficult to pay for it.
Therefore, the government’s steps in providing assistance to students are very good. We certainly don’t want students to stop studying because of the corona storm. If the number of students on campus decreases, there will be a domino effect. Boarding house businessmen, food vendors in and around campus, photocopying business owners, will lose customers.
Indeed, not all people who send their children to study on campus come from the upper middle class. There are also many commoners with scholarships or just barely enough pockets, and are struggling to go to university. They are the ones who are targeted by the government for tuition assistance, so they can study smoothly.
At the start of the pandemic, campuses were temporarily closed and learning was conducted online. However, there are students who also have difficulty following it due to financial difficulties. Like Roland, students in NTT are forced to borrow cellphones because their phones are damaged. It’s a student like Roland who should be getting help.
It is hoped that aid from the government can ease the burden on parents of students so that they can continue their studies. They are candidates for the nation’s leaders, therefore they deserve the attention of the government. This assistance was immediately provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and will be distributed gradually.
Students should also take advantage of this assistance to pay for UKT. Do not buy consumer goods. Appreciate the help from the government and don’t let the Ministry of Education and Culture lose trust.
Government assistance for students is expected to ease the burden on their families to pay single tuition fees. Because there are still many people who have financial difficulties because of the corona effect. Hopefully with this money, UKT can be paid on time and students can finish their studies until they graduate.
)* Writer actives in the Press Circle and Cikini Students