Jayapura allocates 30% special autonomy fund for education
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Loading... - Abel Jasmine
- 14 Jun 2023
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The Jayapura district government in Papua announced on Wednesday its plan to allocate 30 percent of this year's special autonomy fund to the education sector. This allocation aims to enhance the quality of education for the indigenous Papuans and is part of the ongoing efforts by the government.
According to Parson Horota, the Head of the Jayapura Development Planning Agency, the special autonomy fund amounting to Rp177 billion was received in May. This represents an increase from last year's budget of Rp121 billion.
The district government intends to utilize 30 percent of the funds to improve the education of indigenous Papuans. The special autonomy fund, which is aimed at accelerating the development of Papua in various sectors, highlights the significance of investing in education for the native population. In order to ensure transparency in the use of the increased budget, Horota emphasized the need for accountability.
The Indonesian government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to enhancing the development of the eastern regions of the country, including Papua and West Papua provinces. Since 2001, the Papua special autonomy law has facilitated the allocation of funds from the central government to these provinces.
Data from the Finance Ministry reveals that during the implementation of the Papua special autonomy law, Rp138.65 trillion has been disbursed for Papua and West Papua as special autonomy funds, in addition to funds allocated for infrastructure projects.
However, despite the central funding, both provinces continue to face challenges in improving their human capital, as reflected in their scores on Indonesia's 2020 Human Development Index. The scores for Papua and West Papua, 60.44 and 65.09 respectively, are lower than the national average of 71.94. Aceh province, for instance, achieved a score of 71.99.
In February 2022, statistics from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) indicated that the poverty rates in Papua and West Papua stood at 26.8 percent and 21.7 percent respectively.
