Balikpapan, Monday, 21 September 2020 – PT Pertamina Hulu Sanga Sanga's commitment to run a safe and beneficial upstream oil and gas operations for the community in its operation areas was showed through the 2020 undergraduate scholarship program for students in the Kutai Kartanegara Regency, Sanga Sanga Scholarship and Sanga Sanga Troops Scholarship. 

The scholarship is part of PHSS corporate social and environmental responsibility in the education field supported by Kalimantan & Sulawesi Representative Upstream Oil and Gas Special Regulatory Task Force and Indonesian Oil and Gas Production Facility Expert (IAFMI) in collaboration with Proklamasi 45 Yogyakarta University (UP45). The selection process lasts for two months since July and involved high schools in 6 districts around the PHSS operation areas (Muara Badak, Marangkayu, Anggana, Muara Jawa, Sanga Sanga, Samboja), Kutai Kartanegara local administration institutions, local district administrations and UP45 Yogyakarta. The selection process was divided into two stages: file selection and online interview for the would-be scholarship recipients. Last 18 September 2020, Tthe UP45 Yogyakarta team announced seven scholarship recepients, consisting of 5 Sanga Sanga scholarship recipients and 2 Sanga Sanga Troops scholarship recipients. 

PHSS Legal & Relations Manager Sugeng Wiharto explained that the scholarship program was a long-term investment to improve the life quality, encourage progress and independence, as well as a form of support of the government's programs to prepare leading and competent human resources. “We hope that this program could be utilized well and the recipients could be the agent of change for progress for their region,” said Sugeng.

Muara Badak SMAN 1 High School Principal Nurmalawati and Mashussuharini, MA Darul Iklas High School Principal, hoped that the scholarship would be done regularly every year so the schools could announce it sooner to motivate the students to get the scholarship. “We deeply appreciate the scholarship program as there are some high-achieving students that could not afford to go to university and this program is a solution and answer to our students' prayers,” Nurmalawati said. One of the scholarship recipient from Muara Badak SMAN 1 High School, Galih Rachman, said that the scholarship helped him to realize his aspiration to apply knowledge on the oil industry and learning in a university outside of East Kalimantan, especially in Yogyakarta.

The scholarship program received appreciation from SKK Migas Senior Public Relations Manager Kalsul Sebastian Julius. He said that SKK Migas fully supported the PHSS scholarship program as the upstream oil and gas contribution to improve Kutai Kartanegara community's human  resources to compete in the workfield or to foster entrepreneurship. 

As one of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia's subsidiaries, PHSS believes that a harmonious partnership between the company, government and community could support the oil and gas operations continuity and important energy supply for Indonesia's progress.  ***