Bali (Indonesia): The economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit all sections of the society around the world. Job losses and salary cuts have meant that many parents are struggling to pay their children’s tuition fees.
The Venus One Tourism Academy, a college in Indonesia’s Bali, has come up with an innovative solution: they have allowed students to pay their fees in the form of coconuts and other natural products, The Indian Express reported.
An official at the institute told local media that the coconuts will be used to harvest Virgin Coconut Oil at the college.
“At first we began an instalment programme to pay their tuition fees, but now we’ve become even more flexible. Because of this COVID pandemic, we have adopted a flexible policy. We produce virgin coconut oil, so students can pay their tuition by bringing in coconut,” the official said.
The college is accepting ‘payments’ in the form of other natural products also, like moringa leaves and gotu kola leaves that are used to produce products such as herbal soap. Students can also resell their own products to develop their entrepreneurship skills.
