Finance Minister Purbaya Reveals Reasons for TNI Briefing for LPDP Scholarship Recipients

Finance Minister (Menkeu) Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the participation of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in the Departure Preparation (PK) activities for LPDP scholarship recipients is intended to enhance nationalism.

“LPDP has further briefing, in this case from the TNI, not for war, but to train and strengthen their sense of nationalism,” said Purbaya to reporters at the Ministry of Finance office in Jakarta on Monday.

Purbaya considers this briefing important so that LPDP scholarship recipients maintain their love for Indonesia.

According to him, the state has made a significant investment through the scholarships, so the recipients are expected to return and benefit the homeland.

“So, the main point is to make their mentality strong, love the country, and be able to return here and contribute their knowledge here,” Purbaya stated.

In addition to nationalism briefing, the government will also direct LPDP study fields more towards the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors.

This step is taken because Indonesia’s need for technological mastery is deemed increasingly crucial.

He added that during his visit to Washington DC, he met around 50 students, both LPDP and non-LPDP scholarship recipients, most of whom were not STEM majors.

“We will change that because we must increase technology utilisation in the future. If not, we will be left behind,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of additional budget for this briefing, Purbaya opined that it is still reasonable because it is part of the state’s investment. Moreover, the briefing costs are relatively small compared to the education costs for recipients studying abroad.

However, he could not yet confirm the amount of additional budget needed. He only mentioned that cooperation with the TNI generally does not use commercial cost schemes like the private sector, so he estimates the required costs to be relatively small.