Tenth Edition of Merdeka Belajar Program: Expansion of LPDP Scholarship Program

INDUSTRY.co.id - Ministry of Education and Culture collaborates with the Finance Ministry’s Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) to expand the scope and targets for the LPDP program.

According to Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Anwar Makarim, the collaboration aims to improve the country’s human resources with global competence and behavior in accordance with the values ​​of Pancasila ideology as stated in the profile of Indonesian Pancasila Students so that they can face technological, social, and environmental changes that occur globally.

The Minister made the statement at the launch of the tenth edition of Merdeka Belajar (freedom to learn): Expansion of the LPDP Scholarship Program, Jakarta, Thursday (22/4).

“Collaboration between Ministry of Education and Culture and the LPDP will further strengthen our common goals in achieving superior human resources as directed by the President,” he said.

Nadiem revealed other variations and expansion of the program’s target, including teachers and educational personnel, as well as the country’s cultural actors, who are at the forefront of advancing and welfare of Indonesian people, especially in the global arena.

“Since Master (S2) and Doctoral (S3) Study Programs have been well implemented, we will simplify the selection process. Afterwards, we will add more Kampus Merdeka (Independent Campus) Programs for students, educational scholarships and internship programs for lecturers, scholarships for teachers, scholarships program for students, teachers, and lecturers in the vocational program, scholarships for students in high school, as well as scholarships program for cultural actors,” he stated.

Previously, Ministry of Education and Culture and the LPDP have cooperated in several collaborative programs, namely affirmation scholarships, targeted scholarships, and general scholarships. This year, the two parties join hands to carry out a series of new programs such as the Kampus Merdeka Program targeting lecturers and educational personnel, programs targeting teachers and educational personnel, vocational programs, achievement programs, and cultural scholarships.

According to Nadiem, the LPDP scholarship program so far has been redesigned for simpler selection processes.

“There are several new policy directions in this year’s programs, including how scholarship beneficiaries can carry out a higher quality of S1 (undergraduate), S2, S3 study programs and non-degree programs based on predetermined criteria,” the Minister said.

For the Kampus Merdeka Program, there are four programs supported by the LPDP in 2021, namely Kampus Mengajar (Campus Goes Teaching), Internships and Certified Independent Studies (micro-credentials), Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA), and Independent Student Exchange.

“This program will start in August/September 2021,” Nadiem said.

In the Campus Goes Teaching program, Ministry of Education and Culture invites participants to become agents of change in education by teaching at selected junior high schools. Participants of the program will assist in literacy and numeracy learning for junior high school students for one semester to improve the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores.

As for Certified Internships and Independent Studies (micro-credentials), living costs and credit guarantees are provided to participants of the program who have successfully accepted in world-class internship programs and organizations recognized by Ministry of Education and Culture for 1-2 semesters.

 They will be involved in solving real issues, receive full-time and immersive guidance, as well as industry certificate.

“Pocket money and living expenses during the internship are subsidized by Ministry of Education and Culture,” he said.

 Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) will be provided to undergraduate students studying 1-2 semesters at selected overseas universities. Students can choose several types of activities, such as student exchanges for one semester with 10-20 credits, visiting student programs for one semester with 10-20 credits, or short courses under 1 semester with a varied number of credits.

Another program included in the Independent Campus Program supported by the LPDP is Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka (Independent Student Exchange).

The program will provide scholarships for students who join the exchange program with other universities in the country for one semester. The program aims to know more about one region to another in order to study the diversity of Indonesian culture and to encourage the strengthening and expansion of student academic competencies.

Furthermore, the LPDP is also involved in developing scholarship programs aimed at lecturers and educational personnel, namely scholarships for regular S2 and S3 lecturers, scientific research, and internships in industries and universities.

 In addition, there are also programs aimed at teachers and education personnel, such as Masters scholarships for teachers to study at domestic and overseas universities, teacher certification (micro-credentials), and doctoral scholarships for teachers to study at domestic universities.

The development of vocational programs has also been expanded, including internships in industries for vocational teachers; undergraduate scholarships for vocational teachers; fieldwork practice for vocational students; scholarships for off-campus vocational lecturers; certification, internship and training for lecturers and vocational education personnel; scholarships for S2 and S3 vocational lecturers at domestic and overseas universities; as well as strengthening scientific researches of vocational lecturers.

For high-achieving high school students, the programs offered are full-undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving students and non-achieving students who are accepted by the world’s best universities, as well as an S2 scholarship program for outstanding students studying at domestic and overseas universities.

And for the first time, the Government provides cultural scholarships for Indonesian cultural and artistic actors, namely scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in culture studies at domestic universities, as well as scholarships for Masters students majoring in culture studies at overseas universities.

For detailed information about each program and registration, the public can visit the LPDP scholarship page via https://beasiswalpdp.kemenkeu.go.id/ or the official page of Ministry of Education and Culture via https://beasiswa.kemdikbud.go.id/. All programs will be open for registration on 2 May 2021.

Further questions about the program can be submitted via [email protected]. Visit the official website of Ministry of Education and Culture via this link and the website of the LPDP through this link.