Batangtoru, 12 August 2022 – PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), the operator of Martabe Gold Mine, awarded Martabe Prestasi education scholarship for the 2023/2024 period to 283 achieving students at the elementary to university levels from underprivileged families originating in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra. This number has increased by 35% compared to 2022, with a total fund of 2.94 billion.
“Since it was first launched in 2017, Martabe Gold Mine Scholarship program has benefited 1,634 students, with a total fund disbursed of Rp 8.4 billion,” said General Manager Operations of PTAR, Rahmat Lubis.
In the scholarship awarding ceremony of Martabe Prestasi held in Sopo Daganak, Batangtoru Subdistrict, South Tapanuli, on Friday (11/08), Rahmat said that Martabe Prestasi is one of PTAR’s commitments to supporting the improvement of educational aspect for the community in South Tapanuli.
Empowering Underprivileged Students for a Brighter Future
Rahmat also expressed his appreciation forthe achieving students who had competed to obtain Martabe Prestasi scholarship. He advised the students to never give up onseeking knowledge and be able to utilize the current technological power to create good and beneficial work for many people.
“We, from PTAR, are determined to support community development from various aspects, such as health and education. We will continue to increase the contribution and added values to the surrounding community,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of South Tapanuli District, Dolly Pasaribu, appreciated Martabe Prestasi Scholarship. In his opinion, this program is a real form of PTAR’s commitment to supporting education quality in South Tapanuli.
Also Read: Sharing Motivation for Martabe Prestasi Scholarship Recipients
“What PTAR has done is in line with the visions of the South Tapanuli regional government. We also put the educational aspect as a priority,” Dolly said.
Dolly also advised the scholarship beneficiaries to use this scholarship as a means to achieve a better future and a facility to achieve anything they aspire to.
“Just as important, always respect and ask parents for their blessings. No matter how successful you are in the future, never forget your parents who have sacrificed a lot for your education,” Dolly concluded.
Scholarship Categories and Benefits
Senior Manager Community of PTAR, Christine Pepah, explained that all students of the scholarship beneficiaries are divided into several categories based on education and benefit levels. The details, namely 100elementary school students and 55 junior high school students are in the category of Academic Achievement Award (PPA). They will receive educational assistance in the rolling year for the amount of IDR 600 thousand for each elementary school student and IDR900 thousand for each junior high school student.
“In addition, 30 high school/equivalent students for the category of regular Continuous Achievement Award (PPB) and 10high school students receive the special PPB. Each student receiving regular PPB of high school/equivalent level will receive a benefit of Rp3 million per year,“ Christine said.
Meanwhile, 15 students obtain Continuous Achievement Award (PBB) at D3 (Associate’s Degree) and S1 (Bachelor’s Degree) levels ofpublic and private universities in South Tapanuli Selatan in the amount of Rp6 million each per year. Furthermore, 50 students in the PBB category at D3 and S1 levels from public and private universities outside South Tapanuli receive a benefit of Rp12 million each per year.
There are also 20 students holding PBB at theS1 level in 10 national leading public universities (PTN) and 96 further beneficiaries at high school to university levels who receive all education funds.
Lightening the burden
Pahrendi Harahap, one of the 3 graduate students of SMK 2 Batangtoru who received Martabe Prestasi scholarship to continue hisstudy at Astra Polytechnic, admitted very happy to be able to receive assistance from PTAR to study at his desired campus.
“From the beginning, I really wanted to study at Astra Polytechnic, because I want to deepen my knowledge in the automotive field, and as far as I know, Astra Polytechnic is strong in that field,” he said.
According to Pahrendi, he has always been interested in the automotive world. As a child, he liked tinkering with his bicycle components. Stepping into the first grade of SMK, his father used to ask for his help to dismantle a motorcycle engine at home. Since then, his interest in automotive became stronger. In 2022, he also did a fieldwork practice (PKL) at PT United Tractors Medan, specifically in the bus engine section.
“Once again, I express my gratitude to PTAR for this scholarship. Other than lightening my parents’ burden, this is also an opportunity for me to seek knowledge in the best place. I wish PTAR success,” he said.
Impact of the Martabe Prestasi Scholarship
The same thing is mentioned by Putri Pratiwi, the beneficiary of Martabe Prestasi scholarship in 2017 while studying at Universitas Muhammadiyah Tapanuli Selatan (UMTS) She thinks that the scholarship lightens her parents’ burden.
After she graduated from university, she did not face difficulty either in finding a job. Currently, she works at PTAR as General Admin in Community Development Department. Putri feels that she applies a lot of knowledge she got at the university to her work.
“My advice to students in South Tapanuli, is don’t be afraid to dream for further study. When there is a will, there is a way,” she concluded.
*A complete list of Martabe Prestasi scholarship beneficiaries in 2023/2024 can be seen onhttps://agincourtresources.com/id/martabeprestasi2023/
