Australia Funds Six New Secondary Schools in Bali

Australia is funding the construction of six new schools in Bali, as part of a partnership with Indonesia to raise the standard of basic education across the country.

AusAID Assistant Director General, Mr Alistair Sherwin, and Australian Consul General to Bali, Mr Bruce Cowled join with national & local officials in a ceremony today in Kintamani to celebrate the opening of three new schools in Bali.

The three new junior secondary schools that were inaugurated are SMPN 7 Sukawarna, Kintamani, SMPN 7 Singaraja, and SMPN 4 Bebandem.

Mr Sherwin said the new schools were part of the Rp2,5 trillion Australian Government program to build or expand 2,000 schools in Indonesia, across 20 provinces, from 2006-2009.

“Up to 1,225 of these schools are expected to be completed by early 2008,” Mr Sherwin said during the inauguration ceremony at SMPN 7 Sukawarna, Kintamani.

“This year, we have funded the construction of three secondary schools in Bali. All of these schools are new and local students were able to start classes in these new facilities when the 2007 school term began.”

“I’m pleased to say another three schools will be built here next year.”

The Australian Government program, developed in consultation with the Ministries of National Education and Religious Affairs, aims to create more than 330,000 new junior secondary school (SMP) places for 13 to 15 year olds by mid-2009, targeting children from poor and remote areas.

Local people are building the schools using locally supplied materials. The school sites have been selected based on assessments of unmet demand, enrolment rates and community involvement.

Information for media:
Mia Salim (Senior Public Affairs Officer) – 0812 107 0237