Tanoto Foundation Supports Improved Access to Education through Scholarship Programs

Medan, 29 September 2017 – According to the School Education Core Data of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, the drop-out rate in Indonesia is still quite high. In 2016, the drop-out rate in secondary education comprised 147,865 students.

One of the reasons why many students drop out is the economic factor. On the other hand, one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Education Field states that by 2030 each country must guarantee that every citizen has completed quality primary and secondary education.

To support improvement of access to education and to support the achievement of the targets of SDGs in education field, Tanoto Foundation as an education-focused philanthropic institution provides various scholarship programs, one of which is a Secondary School Scholarship program for students of partner SMP (Junior Secondary Schools), SMA (General Senior Secondary Schools), and SMK (Vocational Senior Secondary Schools) in Medan and Belawan, North Sumatra.

The Tanoto Foundation’s Secondary School Scholarship program has been running since 2010 and up to the present time has provided scholarships to 503 students in 20 partner schools. In the implementation, Secondary School Scholarship recipients not only receive support for education cost, but also academic counseling and mentoring to help them achieve good performance.

“The founders of Tanoto Foundation, Mr. Sukanto and Mrs. Tinah Bingei, believe that everyone has the same right to gain a better life. Only with good education will the opportunity increases for children to gain a better life in the future, “said Tanoto Foundation’s member of management, Felesia Phoa, at the signing of the Secondary School Scholarship Agreement in Medan, September 29, 2017.

“While in senior high school, Mr. Sukanto Tanoto was forced to quit school because he had to help his parents. He experienced the difficulty to get a formal education at that time. However, with the principle of hard work and the never-ending spirit of learning that he has, Mr. Sukanto could overcome the challenges that he faced and succeeded in building a world-class company, namely the Royal Golden Eagle Group. Learning from the experience of his youth, now Mr. Sukanto Tanoto provides opportunities for children, who are experiencing financial difficulties, to continue their education and reach good achievements through various scholarship programs, “added Felesia Phoa.

In addition to Secondary School Scholarship program, Tanoto Foundation also runs other scholarship programs, such as the National Champion Scholarship program which provides support to bachelor’s degree program (S1) and master’s degree program (S2) students to become Indonesia’s future leaders. The National Champion Scholarship program is working with 12 state universities in Indonesia.

There is also a Regional Champion Scholarship program for undergraduate (S1) students aimed at educating prospective leaders from rural areas who are committed to build their regions. Out of all of its scholarship programs, up to the present time, Tanoto Foundation has supported over 7,200 school and university students.