Changes to KIP Kuliah Beneficiary Deciles Can Still Be Updated, Says Minister Gus Ipul

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, and the Head of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, have coordinated on updating the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN). The discussion specifically addressed the recent controversy regarding changes to the decile rankings of Kartu Indonesia Pintar (KIP) Kuliah scholarship recipients.

Gus Ipul explained that data is dynamic, as every day there are citizens who pass away, marry, relocate, or are born, making the updating process crucial. He clarified that a change in a recipient’s decile position could occur purely due to a proportional update of national welfare data, rather than solely a change in the family’s income.

“So this might be one of the dynamics present in our data. However, it can still be updated; there is still an opportunity for updating,” Gus Ipul stated on Thursday (9/7/2026).

The updating process can be carried out through several channels. The first is a formal route via the SIKS-NG application through data operators at the village/sub-district level and the Social Affairs Office. There is also a participatory route through updating channels that can be accessed independently, such as the Cek Bansos application.

“The Ministry of Social Affairs and BPS will carry out the updating. Updates can be done independently via the Cek Bansos application or by visiting the sub-district office to meet with the village data operator or a social facilitator,” he said.

Furthermore, Gus Ipul conveyed that the DTSEN is not the sole criterion for determining KIP-K programme recipients. This is stipulated in the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Regulation (Permendiktisaintek) Number 2 of 2026 concerning the Indonesia Pintar Programme for Higher Education (PIP Dikti).

“And now there is no need to worry; once again, there is a second pathway that can be taken temporarily. That pathway is contained in Article 9 of the 2026 Permendiktisaintek,” he explained.

Article 9 of Permendiktisaintek 2/2026 states that prospective KIP Dikti recipients are registered in the DTSEN within the very poor to vulnerable poor groups. If not registered in these groups, they can still be designated as recipients if their parents’/guardians’ income is below the provincial minimum wage (UMP), or with a Certificate of Indigence (SKTM) from the village/sub-district, subject to quota availability.

The Ministry of Social Affairs will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology to ensure that affected students undergo a fair verification process before a final decision is made.

Meanwhile, BPS Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti stated that BPS will provide a channel to accelerate the process for citizens or students to update their DTSEN data through the Cek DTSEN application. “So that later the decile update can be done through a special channel, and we will accelerate the updating process,” Amalia said. She urged KIP-K recipients affected by the decile changes to immediately access the Cek DTSEN application to perform the update.