JAKARTA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government is providing free education to more than 64,000 students from Central Papua province this year, Central Papua Governor Meki Fritz Nawipa said Monday.
The program covers education costs for more than 58,000 junior and senior high school, vocational school and special-needs students, as well as around 6,000 university students studying in various provinces, Nawipa said.
"The program ensures that financial constraints do not prevent people from accessing education," he said.
The provincial government also provides funding for Central Papua students studying overseas through a grant scheme with an annual budget of around 30 billion rupiah (about 1.68 million U.S. dollars).
In addition to expanding access to education, the provincial government has supported professional certification for 1,800 teachers over the past two years and provided additional incentives aimed at improving teachers' welfare and teaching quality. ■