Bappenas Head Sends Off 145 Scholarship Recipients for 2026
Minister of National Development Planning/Head of the National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas) Rachmat Pambudy has released 145 scholarship recipients for 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of national development planners in ministries, agencies, and regional governments.
“We cannot detach ourselves from education and training. Why can nations and states advance, and why do many countries also experience decline? One of the reasons is the issue of education and human resource development,” he said during the Ministerial Lecture for 2026 Scholarship Recipients, according to an official statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He affirmed the commitment to strengthening the national development planning system through human resource development.
As part of this commitment, the Centre for Development Planning Human Resource Development, Education, and Training (Pusbindiklatren) of the Ministry of PPN/Bappenas organised a scholarship selection process for participants from various ministries, agencies, and regional governments.
The selection process yielded 145 scholarship recipients, comprising 49 internal participants from the Ministry of PPN/Bappenas through the internal BEST scholarship, 35 participants through the Affirmation Scholarship, 52 participants through the Cost Sharing Scholarship, five participants through Australia Awards, and two participants through scholarships at universities in Singapore.
The release ceremony served as a platform for briefing, orientation, and networking among scholarship recipients and educational partners, while also strengthening the sense of belonging for all selected recipients.
“The Ministry of PPN/Bappenas strives to be present in supporting the improvement of human resource capacity through various appropriate education and training programmes. We believe this is crucial for producing quality policies that can be implemented in society,” said Secretary of the Ministry of PPN/Principal Secretary of Bappenas Teni Widuriyanti.
In carrying out its role of providing direction for short-, medium-, and long-term national development policy, she continued, Bappenas requires competent and adaptive development planners.
Therefore, improving the quality of human resources is regarded as a strategic instrument for maintaining policy quality, cross-sector planning integration, and the sustainability of the national development agenda.
“The first gap is the gap caused by education. Education that changes knowledge, education that changes skills, education that changes attitudes. Ultimately, behaviour that bears fruit and succeeds is a concrete example of the results of our education,” said the Minister of PPN.