This is all done to ease the parents' burden and to support the children's passion for learningJakarta (ANTARA) - The State Budget (APBN) supports the aspirations of Indonesian children to achieve their dreams, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
"Happy National Children's Day 2021. Children are the nation's future. Their health, education, and prosperity are the government's priority," Indrawati stated on her personal Instagram account @smindrawati here on Friday.
To this end, the finance minister announced the government’s provision of several modes of assistance to children through the APBN in the form of programs, such as the Family Hope Program (PKH), Smart Indonesia Program, Smart Indonesia Card, and Internet quotas aid during the pandemic.
She noted that the government had allocated Rp28.31 trillion for the PKH and Rp8.54 trillion for the Internet quotas aid to be distributed to 38.1 million students and education workers.
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Moreover, she stated that the government had allotted 20 percent of APBN's yearly budget ceiling to reach Rp550 trillion this year for the education sector.
"This is all done to ease the parents' burden and to support the children's passion for learning," she remarked.
Indrawati stated that this was the second year when children were living in the shadow of the pandemic. Consequently, their mobility has been hindered, and their activities had been homebound.
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However, the minister asserted that the pandemic was no excuse to neglect the children's quality of life. she stressed that just because the pandemic had hindered the children's movement, it did not mean that their future should be impacted as well.
"Children must still be able to fulfill their dreams in future," Indrawati stated.
The finance minister ended her Instagram post by expressing hope that Indonesia's children would continue to harbor their passion for learning and boost their creativity to help them realize their dreams.
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Translator: Astrid H, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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