"As of January 1 (2023), scholarship funding and its management have been handed over to district and city administrations,” Rumaropen said here on Friday.
The Papua provincial government is no longer financing scholarship recipients because the special autonomy funds have been directly handed over to each district and city administration, he expounded.
His party has carried out data collection to ensure that scholarship recipients get the funding from the districts or cities where they originally come from.
According to him, discussions related to further management have been facilitated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The data collection process has been completed so district heads and mayors across Papua, including those in the three new autonomous regions (DOB), will be summoned, he informed.
Earlier, the management of scholarships was under the provincial government, in accordance with the special autonomy law of 2001.
With a change in the regulation in 2021, the budget is now being distributed directly to smaller local governments.
Therefore, as the scholarship budget is already in the districts’ pocket, the provincial government will hand over its overall management to prevent difficulties in fund utilization.
"The data has been completed, in which scholarship recipients come from 48 districts and cities in Papua," Rumaropen said.
Other than the handover of scholarship management, the Papua Health Card management handover will also be carried out.
"The two programs will be directly handled by districts and cities in Papua," he informed.
The signing of the management handovers will be done by the acting governors in Papua.
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Translator: Evarukdijati, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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