Page 31 - KLIPINGBELMAWA11JULI2019PAGI

Judul
Cheap universities help low-skilled workers
Media
The Jakarta Post
Terbit
11 Juli 2019
Tone
Netral
Hal/link
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/07/11/cheap- universities-help-low-skilled-workers.html#_=_
PR VALUE
Rp 60,000,000
Jurnalis
A. Muh
Cheap universities help low-skilled workers
• A. Muh. Ibnu AqilThe Jakarta Post Jakarta / Thu, July 11 2019 / 12:53 am
Low-skilled workers in Jakarta, mostly high school graduates, see an opportunity to improve their career paths through affordable universities — even though it means juggling work and their studies.
According to August 2018 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), of about 4.73 million workers in the capital, only 25.58 percent had graduated from tertiary-level educational institutions. A majority, or 42.29 percent, were high school graduates, while 32.13 percent were junior high school graduates. Irpan Chrisson Limbong, 23, is a high-school graduate who works at a convenience store in Gambir, Central Jakarta. He is pursuing an undergraduate degree in management at the Open University (UT) and he is now in his third semester.
Hailing from Labuhan Batu Utara regency in North Sumatra, Irpan said he had moved to Jakarta in 2015 in search of work. He said that finding work in his home, the provincial capital Medan, was actually not difficult, but finding one that offered him a salary that could pay for his university fees was not easy. So, he went to Jakarta to pursue his dream.
“Because my main goal of working is to [make enough] so I can continue my education,” Irpan said on Tuesday.
He started with an entry-level position at the store and was eventually promoted to assist the manager. With a monthly salary of about Rp 4.5 million (US$318), Irpan is able to pay for his basic needs and education and even send money back to his family.
His tuition at the Open University is a flat rate of Rp 2.2 million per semester. The Open University has campuses in 39 cities across the country and one overseas representative office. It also offers distance-learning courses.
In Greater Jakarta, its chapters are located in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, and in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten, offering undergraduate degrees in economics, education, math and natural sciences, law, and social and political sciences, as well as various master’s degrees.