Through its Girls’ Scholarship program, Taman Bacaan Pelangi (TBP) successfully accommodated two school students to complete their secondary school education this year. Since 2021, this program has consistently provided educational scholarships for girls in East Nusa Tenggara and West Papua, marking a significant achievement in improving educational opportunities for young women in these regions.

The two scholarship recipients attend school in Ende district, East Nusa Tenggara: Ermalinda Sola at SMK Negeri 1 Ende and Kalista Sere Dosi at SMA Negeri 2 Ende. They have been scholarship recipients since 2021 and graduated in 2024.

The Girls’ Scholarship aims to provide a solution in improving the quality of education for 20 female students, 19 in East Nusa Tenggara and 1 in West Papua.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2023, the average length of schooling for those aged 15 and above in East Nusa Tenggara is only 8.31 years, equivalent to the second year of junior high school. By gender, boys reach 8.46 years while girls lag at 8.17 years.

Kalista is doing her hobby weaving traditional fabric

“The Girls’ Scholarship has helped me pay for my school fees so I can attend school. Additionally, the self-development guidance has allowed me to learn subjects I had never studied before,” said Kalista.

Besides providing financial aid, the Girls’ Scholarship offers monthly online and offline sessions for self-development guidance to all scholarship recipients. In these sessions, TBP collaborates with speakers to deliver materials related to self-development, financial literacy, public speaking, digital literacy, environmental literacy, critical thinking, and mental and physical wellbeing.

Through the Girls’ Scholarship Program, TBP consistently supports junior and senior high school students in pursuing their dreams through education. The Girls’ Scholarship recipients are spread across Nagekeo district, Ende district, and Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara, and Bintuni Regency in West Papua.

Kalista with her own tumbler sticker creation during Girls’ Scholarship offline meeting

“I am happy because I could get a scholarship from the Girls’ Scholarship,” said Kalista.

After graduating from high school, Kalista, who is skilled in weaving, has planned to continue her education at INSTIKI (Indonesian Institute of Business and Technology), choosing Informatics Engineering as her major.