This year, we have set up the poor pupils' accommodation program. There will be possibly thousands of poor pupils that will study in private schools, and they need not pay for their education for one until three years in the school. This is indeed anBandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has confirmed that hundreds of private high schools in the province's 27 cities and districts are ready to accommodate students from economically disadvantaged families free of charge.
Students who have not passed the public high school selection and admission program opened this year can instead opt to continue their education, free of charge, at private schools participating in the province's program for accommodating poor students, he said.
"This year, we have set up the poor pupils' accommodation program. There will be possibly thousands of poor pupils that will study in private schools, and they need not pay for their education for one until three years in the school. This is indeed an amazing collaboration," the Governor remarked after reviewing the public high school selection and admission process here on Tuesday.
He then expressed his gratitude to private schools that have opened their doors to poorer students, thereby contributing to their future.
The Governor also highlighted that 21 educational foundations and private schools in Bandung, the provincial capital, are ready to accommodate 748 poor students this year, an increase from only one school that had expressed its intention of accommodating poor students last year.
"We estimate that by multiplying (the number of private schools in Bandung participating in the program) by 27 cities and districts in West Java, then hundreds of private schools have participated in this program to accommodate the poor," Kamil said.
He attributed the increase in the number of schools participating in the program to intensive discussions and talks between the regional authority, educational foundations, and private schools.
"To advance (the program), we engaged in heart-to-heart discussions with educational foundations and hundreds of private schools, and then they expressed their intent to join the program. From our calculation, we already have 700 free quotas available from the private schools, then when we multiply the number by 27 (cities and districts), I assume (the total quota) will surpass five thousand," he added.
Kamil also affirmed that the facilities and systems for the entire process of public high school selection—conducted by online means—are ready to cater to residents seeking to register their children at the schools.
"For parents, after the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is all digitized, so the registration also takes place by digital means, and (parents) need not visit the school. If a problem occurs or (parents) need more information, we have prepared schools to serve them," he said. (INE)
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
