Finance Ministry Blocks Rp35.6 T Education Budget

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dwi Pujiastuti Handy, budget director II of the Finance Ministry, said that there is Rp35.6-trillion in the Education and Culture Ministry that does not match the budget execution checklist approved by the House of Representatives (DPR).

 "The projects are changing, in volume and in cost,” he told Tempo yesterday. "There are several different projects in nearly all first-echelon units," he added.

Dwi said the Finance Ministry has now frozen the budget.

The Education Ministry has a total frozen budget of Rp62.1 trillion, of which Rp26.4 trillion was withdrawn due for urgent needd, namely the implementation of the national exam, scholarships and student aid disbursement, the 2013 curriculum budget, teachers' allowances and operational aid for state universities. The rest, amounting to Rp35.6 trillion, is regarded as problematic.

Dwi said that Rp13.6 trillion was allocated for the construction of new colleges in Indonesia's state universities. "We will ask the House of Representatives to review the construction plan," he said.

Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh said that the budget freeze has been finalized by acting Finance Minister, Hatta Rajasa. According to Nuh, the budget will soon be disbursed. "Once Hatta enters, everything will be OK," he said. Nuh claimed he did not know the reason why the budget had been blocked.

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