The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology\n(Kemendiktisaintek) is urging local governments to introduce regional\nscholarship schemes to broaden access to higher education. This scheme\nis expected to complement the central Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah (KIP\nKuliah) programme, which is deemed insufficient to reach all\nstudents.<\/p>\n
The Director General of Higher Education at Kemendiktisaintek,\nMuhammad Najib, stated that the central government currently provides\nscholarships to around 950,000 KIP Kuliah recipients. However, this\nnumber is inadequate to significantly drive up higher education\nparticipation rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why we are encouraging local governments to issue a Regional\nKIP, so that local children can attend university, even through bonded\nservice schemes to return and develop their regions,\u201d Najib said when\nmet at the Kemendiktisaintek office in South Jakarta on Monday, 13 April\n2026.<\/p>\n
This proposal also responds to the widespread issue of students\ndefaulting on single tuition fees (UKT) due to economic difficulties.\nThe high number of students unable to pay tuition fees puts them at risk\nof dropping out.<\/p>\n
According to Najib, several regions such as Jakarta have already\nimplemented local scholarship programmes. This model is seen as\nreplicable by other regions to expand higher education access.<\/p>\n
Najib noted that Indonesia\u2019s current gross higher education\nparticipation rate stands at around 34%. The government targets\nincreasing this to 39% by 2029. Achieving even a one percent increase\nrequires an additional 750,000 new students. \u201cRelying solely on the\ncentral KIP Kuliah is not enough. Collaboration with local governments\nand the private sector is needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In addition to encouraging local governments, Kemendiktisaintek is\ninviting companies through corporate social responsibility (CSR)\nprogrammes to provide scholarships. Several companies, Najib said, have\nbegun contributing to higher education funding.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the government is also working to maintain a\nbalance between public (PTN) and private (PTS) universities. This\nincludes limiting new student intake quotas at PTNs to prevent\ncontinuous increases, and regulating selection schedules to give PTS\nmore room to recruit students.<\/p>\n
Najib believes that increasing higher education access does not\ndepend solely on funding, but also on the relevance of study programmes\nto industry needs. He is encouraging universities, especially PTS, to\noffer programmes that adapt to changing times, such as artificial\nintelligence and data science fields. \u201cThe most important thing is the\nguarantee after graduation. If there is certainty of absorption into\nindustry, it will become an attraction for prospective students,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/local-governments-urged-to-introduce-regional-kip-kuliah-scheme-1776070251", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }