Jakarta. East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud announced on Wednesday that the provincial government will finance education costs from senior high school through doctoral programs for eligible residents, in a bid to build a more sustainable economy beyond natural resources.

Speaking at the Beritasatu TV Regional Forum in Jakarta, Rudy said the program is open to residents who have lived in East Kalimantan for at least three years.

“We have prepared a budget of approximately Rp 2 trillion ($120 million),” he said.

For students at state universities, the subsidy will start at Rp 5 million per student. Due to higher tuition fees in medical schools, subsidies for medical students will reach up to Rp 15 million per person, Rudy explained.

Education from elementary to junior high school has long been fully free in the province.

Shift Toward Human Capital
Rudy said the program reflects East Kalimantan’s ambition to diversify its revenue beyond natural resources such as minerals, agriculture, and plantations.

“To ensure sustainable income, we must shift from relying on natural resources to relying on human resources,” he said.

East Kalimantan’s land area is nearly the size of the entire island of Java, but it is home to only around four million people. The governor said that small population presents opportunities to accelerate human-capital development through targeted funding.