TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The bitter story of a Yogyakarta State University student (UNY), Nur Riska Fitri Aningsih, who struggled to pay for college until she died, received a response from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. Riska breathed her last in March 2022 due to hypertension.
Tasks executor Director General of Higher Education, Research and Technology of the Ministry of Education Nizam said his condolences for Riska’s death. “First, my deep condolences on the death of the deceased. If this is true, we are of course very concerned,” he said Tempo on Friday evening, January 13, 2023.
Riska’s senior sister shared stories about Riska’s struggle to be able to go viral on social media. Coming from an underprivileged family, Riska went back and forth to the rectorate to ask for a single tuition fee relief (UKT) which reached IDR 3.14 million per semester. The son of an itinerant vegetable seller, the eldest of three siblings, tried to get a fee reduction but was never successful until he died.
Read too:The Bittersweet Story of UNY Students: Struggling to Pay Tuition Fees Until They Finally Die
Also read: Local Government of Yogya Talks about the Bitterness of UNY Students and the Burden of UKT
Nizam said the Ministry of Education made it easy for students from underprivileged families to be able to go to college through the Indonesia Smart College Card or KIP K program. In addition, said Nizam, universities also provided various assistance ranging from reducing UKT to UKT exemption.
“Many even provide scholarships from various funding sources,” he said.
Nizam said that all this time UNY, including its chancellor, had cared deeply about underprivileged students. In fact, said Nizam, lecturers and rectors sometimes help out using their own pocket.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor of UNY, Sumaryanto, said he was concerned about the news that Riska had difficulty paying UKT, which led to the person’s death. “I am sad to receive news like that,” said Sumaryanto.
Sumaryanto said that actually there are many ways that can be taken to help alleviate UKT students who are really struggling economically. If procedural efforts are hampered by the system, students can send letters directly to the chancellor.
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