Indonesia, Feb. 18 -- Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Fauzan has emphasized that varsities must keep students from dropping out of college amid the government-mandated budget efficiency policy.

"It is because budget efficiency does not affect substantial components," he said here on Tuesday, affirming that university scholarships will be untouched by budget cuts.

He affirmed that the budget efficiency is targeting only those aspects that are considered non-substantial, such as working visits or ceremonial activities, therefore, the scholarship budget is intact and unaffected by the policy.

"Hence, we should not allow university students to drop out of their course due to the budget efficiency," the deputy m...