On 6 December, a MoU signing ceremony was held in the Unigraha Hotel in Pangkalan Kerinci for 11 teachers, four from the New Rantau Pelalawan district and seven from the Kuantan Singingi district of Riau.
These eleven teachers have been selected to receive the scholarships from the Tanoto Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sukanto Tanoto, to complete and further their education after having completed a fairly rigorous selection process which included filling in series of forms, completing interviews as well as undergoing psychological tests.
Deputy Head of the Tanoto Foundation, Arie Widowati, stated that by handing out these scholarships to the carefully selected individuals to aid them in finishing their S1 qualifications (Bachelor’s Degree), he hopes that they can improve their knowledge and teaching skills to, in turn, positively influence future students.
The Tanoto Foundation yearly provides dozens of scholarships to teachers in support of the advancement of education. Tanoto Foundation founder Sukanto Tanoto is a self-made, globally successful entrepreneur whom himself never had the opportunity to complete his formal education. This however never stopped him from continuing to further his education in later years. He taught himself how to read English by using a Chinese-English dictionary and reading three English written magazines, Life, Newsweek and Readers Digest, and attended a business school in Jakarta.
His continuous thirst for knowledge and his drive to help reduce poverty in his country has led to the creation of the Tanoto Foundation, of which the main focus is Education, Empowerment, and Enhancement of Quality of Lives.
The Tanoto Foundation not only provides scholarships to teachers, but also provides scholarships to students of all ages ranging from elementary school through to university, and has to date handed out more than 6400 scholarships to students in Indonesia.
To find out more about Sukanto Tanoto and his philanthropic work visit:
Tanoto Foundation | Sukanto Tanoto Biography | Facebook | Twitter