JAKARTA \u2013 The Teachers and Education Association (P2G) has raised\nconcerns about the LPDP (Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education)\nscholarship programme awarding scholarships to economically affluent\nindividuals. P2G is calling on the government to evaluate the LPDP\nselection process for scholarship recipients and increase affirmative\naction quota allocations.<\/p>\n
The statement was made by P2G Advisory Board member Anggi Afriansyah\nin response to the case of Arya Iwantoro and his wife Dwi\nSasetyaningtyas, whose children became the subject of viral controversy\nregarding their citizenship status. Both Arya and Dwi are LPDP\nscholarship recipients from official families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is how government funds are allocated to\nthose facing genuine financial constraints,\u201d Anggi told Republika on\nSunday (1 March 2026).<\/p>\n
The LPDP scholarship programme operates through several mechanisms\nincluding regular admission, targeted pathways, and affirmative action\nchannels. Officials\u2019 children and prominent figures may apply through\nthe regular pathway provided they meet the established requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who enter the regular pathway \u2013 I\u2019m not certain of the data \u2013\nbut we can see these are people with genuine privilege. There are\nexamples of officials\u2019 children, and also public figures such as\nentertainers and others who could actually afford to study abroad\nindependently,\u201d Anggi stated.<\/p>\n
According to Anggi, the problem lies in the fact that the regular\nLPDP pathway is open to all applicants. As long as they meet LPDP\u2019s\nrequirements, they can receive the scholarship.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo in terms of criteria, ultimately there are cases where\nindividuals with adequate economic capital are able to secure LPDP\nscholarships. This does tend to create a bias when discussing the\nissue,\u201d Anggi explained.<\/p>\n
In fact, LPDP provides affirmative action quotas for students with\nphysical or mental disabilities, indigenous Papuans, students from\neastern Indonesian regions, and Islamic boarding school graduates. There\nis also a targeted pathway for military (TNI), police (Polri), civil\nservants (PNS), or state-owned enterprise employees (ASN BUMN). Anggi is\nurging that these affirmative action and targeted pathway quotas be\nexpanded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my view, it would be better if these targeted quotas were\nincreased. This way we could develop a new generation of Indonesians\nwith academic excellence even if they come from disadvantaged groups,\u201d\nAnggi concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/controversy-over-officials-children-receiving-lpdp-scholarships-sparks-call-for-stricter-selection-1772358911", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }