Aceh, 28 February 2006 - As part of the continuing support for education in Indonesia, PT Indosat and its stakeholders today launched two superior and integrated elementary schools dedicated to the children of Aceh, namely Superiority Elementary School Iqro’ in Sigli and Islamic Integrated Elementary School Nurul Fikri in Aceh Besar.

The two schools, funded by Indosat and its stakeholders of around Rp 13,2 billion, were launched in Aceh Besar by Minister of State Enterprises, Sugiharto, and attended by Directorate General of Ministry Education, Prof. Suyanto PhD; Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), Mustafa Abubakar and Deputy Chairman of the Republic of Indonesia’s Regional Representatives Council (DPD), Irman Gusman. Also present were representatives from Singapore Technologies Telemedia (ST Telemedia), Indosat’s Board of Commissioners and Board of Directors. The launch was marked by the signing of the plaque, commemorating the inauguration of the Islamic Integrated Elementary School Nurul Fikri .

“The founding of the two elementary schools reflects our commitment and nationalism in rebuilding Aceh after the tsunami, especially in education for Aceh children,” said Indosat President Director, Hasnul Suhaimi, at the inauguration.

Indonesia’s Minister of State Enterprises, Sugiharto supported the inauguration of the schools. “Indosat’s contribution is an integral part of Indonesian companies’ commitment ,to help rebuild Aceh. Their dedication to education in Indonesia is commendable because education is the foundation for developing Indonesia.”

Indosat’s practice of Corporate Social Responsibility is focused on educational activities under a program called “Indonesia Learning”. Besides rebuilding of schools in Aceh, the program has distributed encyclopedias for 58 Indosat operational areas on Education Day in 2005; donated Al Quran books in braille for elementary schools for the handicap in Jakarta and Java; delivered scholarships and maintaining a website for the Paskibraka team, which is a group of the best high school students from all over Indonesia; delivered donations for 300 students at a Moslem school and scholarships for orphans. In 2006, ‘Indonesia Learning’ will focus on increasing the quality of education in Indonesia by delivering scholarships, providing teacher development, and rebuilding infrastructure.

“Indosat’s corporate responsibility to the support the country’s education sector is by providing the essential tools and knowledge to children. The first step to rebuilding Aceh’s future is to rebuild the education for children in Aceh,” added Hasnul Suhaimi.

The schools rebuilding project in Aceh also reflects Indosat’s transparency and responsibility to its stakeholders following to the generous contributions from its major shareholder, ST Telemedia, customers, partners and internal company funds. Indosat was also the first telecommunications operator in Indonesia to offer free calls to tsunami victims and relief workers through its mobile phone booths, called ”Posko Indosat Peduli”, in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. Recognising a greater need to communicate frequently with loved ones, Indosat had automatically topped-up the phone cards of its existing customers in Aceh with free airtime worth Rp100,000 especially for Mentari customers in Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe, and offered a hefty 75 per cent price discount for all calls originated from the Province of Aceh for Matrix, Mentari and IM3 customers. For Indosat customers who wanted to make donations to the tsunami relief efforts, Indosat also created an SMS contribution program, named “SMS Donasi Aceh”.

ST Telemedia and its group company StarHub contributed a significant sum of S$600,000 to the funding of the schools’ reconstruction.

ST Telemedia and StarHub also donated S$110,000 to Indonesia’s humanitarian relief through Network Indonesia, a network of Singapore-based companies with interests in Indonesia. Close to S$1 million, in cash or in kind, were raised from Network Indonesia’s members and business community. ST Telemedia made a further donation of 3,500 Indosat SIM cards, worth S$70,000, to Network Indonesia in aid of the recovery efforts.

“Today marks a milestone and a new beginning for hundreds of school children whose lives were dramatically impacted by the Tsunami. ST Telemedia group and employees are delighted to do our part in supporting this meaningful cause and to share the hope for the future with the community in Aceh. The inauguration of two primary schools reflects ST Telemedia's philosophy of providing help to the needy in the communities where we operate in, and underscores our unwavering belief in education as an investment in a nation's economic and social future," said Mrs Kuan Kwee Jee, ST Telemedia’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Relations.

Indosat will co-operate with the Nurul Fikri Foundation in Aceh Besar and Iqro’ Foundation in Sigli on the management of the schools. In the first year, Indosat will fully support and be responsible for the operational funding of the schools, including the free funding for Aceh children. The two foundations will later be responsible for the continuity of school management in the future.

“We hope that our initiative will be the first step for Aceh children to rebuild their lives after the tsunami, because they are a part of our country’s future,” said Hasnul Suhaimi.

Both schools are built with classrooms, a library, laboratory, praying area and exercise area. The school management and learning system, is not only taught by qualified teachers, but also supported by well-known integrated learning system from Nurul Fikri and Iqro’ Foundation. Nurul Fikri Elementary School implements a full-day school with a curriculum based on the Al Quran curriculum, praying practices and life skills, and using an active learning approach. The Iqro’ Foundation uses active and cooperative learning method, integrated study and focusing on emotional and spiritual intelligence. Thus, the children of Aceh will not only be provided with an excellent education, but also a good foundation for a better future.