Djarum offers more than just scholarships

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

The students were beaming with happiness as musician Djaduk Ferianto called on them, one group after another, to a stage set up in the compound of the famous Prambanan Temple.

The students, numbering 387 in total from 65 universities cried out "cak" repeatedly while swaying both their arms in the air -- just as Balinese kecak dancers do. They marched to the stage, sat cross-legged on the floor, forming a full circle.

A moment later, they were officially named the recipients of this year's scholarship program awarded by cigarette producer PT Djarum.

"I'm honored to be one of the recipients. I've already benefited a lot from the scholarship program," said Atok, one of the 27 recipients from Lampung University.

Three days ahead of the inauguration ceremony, which is also known as Dharma Puruhita Night, all the selected candidates were invited to join a series of activities held in Yogyakarta.

The program included social activities with children from orphanages, outbound activities, tours to historical sites and a talk on moral values with noted speaker Damardjati Supadjar of Gadjah Mada University and prominent Islamic preacher Wijayanto.

"Thanks to the program, I have had a chance to meet and exchange experiences with other fellow students from different universities and different study programs. I've really enjoyed it," Atok said.

"The scholarship (program) is really different to other scholarships that I am aware of. It doesn't just give us money, but most importantly features a variety of off-campus activities," another recipient, Marleni Nurhasmi of Bandung Widyatama University said.

Marleni, a scholarship recipient of the 2004/2005 academic year, said that apart from the monthly stipend of Rp 150,000, she was also obliged to join a series of programs that the company had arranged for all the recipients in her region.

The programs included seminars, outbound activities, workshops, and various social activities. All were conducted at the company's expense.

"We are also welcome to propose a program if we like. The regional sales office will give us full support for it," explained Marleni, who completed her university studies last month.

Speaking at a press conference held ahead of the Dharma Puruhita Night, head of PT Djarum's corporate affairs, Suwarno M. Serad, said that the scholarship was not just aimed at improving students' academic achievement but their non-academic skills, as well.

"Education in Indonesia has always treated students more as objects. Through the off-campus activities we are providing, we want to treat them as human beings," Suwarno said.

That explains why all the scholarship recipients are also obliged to pay a monthly visit to the company's regional sales offices in their respective regions to interact with each other through a variety of activities.

So far four regional sales offices have supported the programs for the scholarship recipients. They are in Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), Semarang (Central Java) and Surabaya (East Java).

Scholarship recipients are also required to join a series of programs that each of the regional sales offices prepares for them, including seminars, workshops, training on leadership and entrepreneurship, and social and outbound activities.

By participating in the program, Suwarno said, the students would hopefully be able to develop within themselves a broader perspective, greater self-discipline and maturity.

"We are treating this as a long-term investment in human resources development," said Suwarno, adding that an annual meeting was also held for the association of the Djarum scholarship recipients through which they could broaden their network.

"It is through such meetings that the students often make contacts that they can use to start their career after completing their studies," he said.

For the 2005/2006 academic year the company has selected 387 recipients from over 700 applicants from 65 universities all across the country. They are fifth- and seventh-semester students.

"To date, since the project began we have provided scholarships for a total of 4,646 university students," Suwarno explained.

Suwarno also said that the scholarship program began in 1984 in recognition of the fact that many university students were often forced to take a semester off to work, to finance their studies, even though they excelled academically.

It is only within the last 10 years that the program has been implemented in a more systematic and coordinated manner, following the establishment of the company's public relations department, which Suwarno himself headed at that time.

"Through the program we hope we can produce university graduates who do not simply become job seekers but job creators as well," Suwarno said.