MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Today I attended a school inauguration ceremony in Bekasi, West Java for the construction of one of about 2000 junior secondary schools to be built in Indonesia over the next three years.
The $355 million Australia Indonesia Partnership's Basic Education Program will fund the construction or expansion of schools in 19 Indonesian provinces. Up to 1225 schools are expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
The construction program will create more than 330,000 new junior secondary school places for 13 to 15 year olds, targeting children from poor and remote areas.
Local people will build the schools using locally supplied materials. The school sites have been selected based on an assessment of unmet demand, enrolment rates and community involvement.
As a close friend of Indonesia, Australia is supporting education in Indonesia recognising it can have an enormously positive impact on the quality of people's lives.
To enhance the people linkages, the Basic Education Program will be supported by a 'sister school' arrangement, to aid positive exchanges between Australian and Indonesian school communities.
Funding for the Basic Education Program comprises $200 million in loans and $155 million in grants. The implementing agencies will be the Indonesian Ministries of Education and Religious Affairs.
A further $300 million in loans will be made available for another major infrastructure development project, the Eastern Indonesia National Roads Improvement Program which will see the rehabilitation of over 1000 kilometres of roads and about 4.5 kilometres of bridges in Eastern Indonesia.
The loans components of the schools and roads projects are generously concessional with zero interest up to 40 years, no payment of the principal for 10 years, followed by a 30 year repayment period.
The Basic Education Program and Eastern Indonesia National Roads Improvement Program are both funded under the $1 billion Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development announced by the Prime Minister in January 2005.
Media contacts:
Michael Wightman (AusAID, in Indonesia) +62 812 1010 203
Tony Parkinson (Mr Downer's Office) 0409 536 410
AusAID Public Affairs 0417 680 590