Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment and UNSIA Launch Scholarship Programme for 500 Community Empowerment Cadres

The Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment (Kemenko PM), through the Deputy for Village Community Empowerment, Disadvantaged Regions, and Specific Regions, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris, and the Rector of Siber Asia University (UNSIA), Prof. Jang Youn Cho, signed a cooperation agreement on education, research, and community service to support the community empowerment agenda on Tuesday (30/6).

As an initial implementation of the partnership, a Bachelor’s Degree Scholarship Programme will be launched for 500 Community Empowerment Cadres. The scholarship is provided in full for the first two semesters and can be extended until graduation on the condition of maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.50. Participants with a GPA below 3.50 will still receive a 50 percent scholarship. The collaboration will also enhance artificial intelligence capabilities through training for prospective Indonesian migrant workers and Kemenko PM staff as part of strengthening human resource capacity.

In his remarks, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that poverty alleviation must be directed towards increasing human resource capacity, job creation, and strengthening entrepreneurship to promote self-reliance and expand the middle class. Education is viewed as the primary instrument for community empowerment to boost human resource capacity amidst the challenges of AI, digitalisation, labour market changes, and the transition towards an ageing population.

The scholarship programme is designed to produce empowerment cadres who possess integrity, high achievement, and a clear commitment to service and contribution after graduation. Muhaimin also requested that UNSIA strengthen academic standards, AI learning, digitalisation, social entrepreneurship, and research that yields solutions for community empowerment.