Government Prioritises Education: Scholarships for Early Childhood Education in Surabaya and Religious Leader Training in the United States
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The government continues to demonstrate its commitment to education through various scholarship programmes, both for early childhood from disadvantaged families and for advanced-level religious leaders. These two initiatives, which run in parallel, reflect efforts to build human resources from the grassroots to the global stage.
In Surabaya, the City Government is intensively consolidating data to ensure that the scholarship programme for Early Childhood Education (PAUD) and Kindergarten is targeted effectively. This programme is specifically prioritised for children from poor and near-poor families in the city.
The Head of the Surabaya City Education Office, Febrina Kusumawati, revealed that they are currently in the process of verifying and validating the data of prospective beneficiaries. This rigorous process is carried out to ensure that the assistance provided truly reaches those who need it most.
“Currently, we are consolidating data. So, we must first verify who is eligible to receive the scholarship. According to the concept of the Mayor (Eri Cahyadi), it is those from poor and near-poor families who are eligible to receive this scholarship, with the condition that they are currently registered in the data of poor or near-poor families,” said Febrina in Surabaya, Tuesday.
Febrina emphasised that if a PAUD-Kindergarten student is proven to still fall into this category, the school is not allowed to charge them any fees. To ensure the accuracy of the data, the Education Office is coordinating closely with the Surabaya City Social Office. The target is that approximately 8,000 students will receive a scholarship worth Rp50,000 per month, and the data collection process is targeted to be completed by the end of February 2026.
“There are approximately 8,000 students, so we now need to re-check their names in the field to see what they are, while we prepare the method of delivery. Because PAUD children do not yet have bank accounts, this is something that we must address properly so that there are no problems in the process,” said the woman, who is affectionately known as Febri.
On the other hand, at the national and international level, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is also preparing future generations of religious leaders. The Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, recently saw off 29 scholarship recipients of the Istiqlal Mosque Religious Leaders Education Programme (PKUMI) to participate in a short course programme in the United States.
This step is part of a strategy to strengthen the intellectual capacity of Indonesian religious leaders through a global academic network. A total of 21 students will study at the University of California, Riverside, while the other eight will study at Hartford International University.
“This opportunity does not come to everyone. Therefore, focus on seeking knowledge, broaden your horizons, and appreciate every moment you have,” said Nasaruddin Umar to the participants in Jakarta, Tuesday.