Jakarta –
Prices of basic necessities in English such as cooking oil, eggs, bread, and rice rose by 8.5%. In the UK, inflation touched 9.1% which was the highest in 40 years.
Head of Doctoral Epistemic of Indonesia in the United Kingdom (Doctrine-UK) Gatot Subroto advised Indonesian students who plan to continue their studies in the UK to pay close attention to this condition and wisely manage finances, especially recipients of government scholarships.
“In September, the UK will enter a new academic year. Many Indonesian students are currently preparing to leave for England to continue their undergraduate to postgraduate studies. They must be prepared to manage their money well, because of the cost of renting a house, electricity, gas, and other necessities. principal has increased dramatically,” said Gatot in a written statement, Saturday (16/7/2022).
In April 2022, electricity and gas companies raised tariffs by 54 percent. This increase is the highest since 1970. The rate is expected to rise again in October 2022.
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Kartika Sari, a student at the University of Nottingham admits that the biggest spike occurred in electricity and gas tariffs. He received a letter from the energy company that the tariff would increase from 1,300 GBP or Rp 25 million per year to 2,200 GBP or Rp 40 million per year.
“Scholarship funds are being drained to pay for house rent, electricity and gas costs,” he said. In addition, transportation fares such as trams have also increased by 30%.
The rise in energy commodities was triggered by Britain’s exit from the European Union, as well as the war between Russia and Ukraine which resulted in fluctuations in world oil prices.
Gatot said the cost of visas and health insurance in the UK rose compared to the previous year. Most universities in English also increase the cost of education for foreign students.
“Tuition costs and living costs are rising, especially those who will study in a big city like London. So for those who study with scholarships, please save money, and for students whose tuition is financed by their parents, they must have a very mature long-term financial plan,” Gatot suggested.
Yorga Permana, a doctoral student in Economics at the London School of Economics, said that house rental prices in London have risen quite high. This is in accordance with data from the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) which states that house prices rose by an average of 12.4 percent compared to 2021.
“Rental per room currently in London starts from 650 GBP (approximately Rp 12 million) per month, up from last year’s around 600 GBP. Meanwhile, students who bring their families must look for at least a two-bedroom house whose rental prices start from 1,300 GBP (equivalent to GBP). IDR 25 million) per month,” said Yorga.
Price increases also occurred in small towns in England. In Nottingham for example, the cost of public transport has gone up significantly
Gatot hopes that students, especially doctoral students, manage the scholarship funds received well. This is because some Indonesian doctoral students bring their families, which of course are affected by price increases compared to single students.
“We also hope that the Indonesian government can adjust the scholarship funds obtained by students. Because it cannot be denied that prices have increased quite significantly,” he said.
(eng)
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