Baznas Targets Scholarships for 200 Palestinian Students, Primarily from Gaza

The National Alms Agency (Baznas) is targeting the provision of scholarships for 200 Palestinian students, primarily from the Gaza Strip, to pursue higher education in Indonesia. The programme is a collaboration between Baznas and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) through the Global Talent Services scheme, as part of human resource strengthening and humanitarian support for the Palestinian people.

Farid Septian, Head of the Education and Vocational Division at Baznas, stated that the programme is targeted to begin accepting students this year, provided all preparations proceed smoothly. “The target is 200 people. The priority is the people of Gaza, but there is also a possibility of students from the West Bank or the Palestinian diaspora in Egypt or Malaysia,” Farid said after a press conference for the Nahdlatul Ulama Scholarship (NUS) Programme at the PBNU Building in Jakarta on Wednesday (15/7/2026).

Farid explained that the scholarship programme for Palestinian students is a cooperation between Baznas and Kemendiktisaintek, not part of Baznas’s collaboration with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). The financing will be carried out through a co-funding scheme. Universities appointed by the government will provide tuition fee waivers (UKT), while Baznas will cover living expenses and other supporting cost components. “We will collaborate with campuses that have been mandated to develop this programme. The UKT is provided by the campus, while Baznas covers other costs,” he said.

Farid stated that Baznas’s focus on the people of Gaza is based on humanitarian considerations and the mandate from muzaki (alms givers) who specifically channel their zakat, infak, and sedekah funds to assist Palestine.