Higher Education Ministry and Baznas Expand Access to Tertiary Education and Empowerment

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) together with the National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) RI is exploring potential cooperation to expand access to higher education through scholarship programmes, community empowerment, and research collaboration. Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto expressed appreciation for Baznas’s commitment to supporting educational development. Kemdiktisaintek and Baznas are expected to build synergy in line with the direction of President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, particularly in increasing the Gross Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (APK PT) through various education financing and human resource development programmes. “We hope there will be collaboration that can run synergistically with the President’s direction to increase the participation rate of Indonesian students and advance Indonesia’s higher education,” said Brian on Friday (19/6). On that occasion, Chairman of Baznas RI Sodik Mudjahid stated that education is one of his institution’s main priorities. This year, Baznas is promoting education programmes through the Distribution, Utilisation, and Empowerment Division, with a policy direction that now places greater emphasis on community empowerment rather than consumptive aid. “Our commitment to education is very high, and in our priority list, we state that we will carry out distribution and empowerment that is fair, proportional, and impactful. We strongly support and want to allocate optimal funds for Indonesia’s future,” Sodik asserted. Meanwhile, Baznas Head of Distribution, Utilisation, and Empowerment, Idy Muzayyad, outlined a draft programme for providing master’s scholarships for Palestinian students to continue their studies in Indonesia. “We want to encourage foreign students to also study in Indonesia. This can also improve the index of higher education institutions in Indonesia. By focusing on the master’s level, Palestinian human resources will also be ready to rebuild,” said Idy Muzayyad. Both parties also discussed collaboration opportunities in community empowerment programmes, domestic scholarships, and research. The Minister offered student involvement through Thematic Community Service Programmes (KKN Tematik) to support various Baznas programmes in the regions, including the development of renewable energy, waste management, and community empowerment. In addition, both parties explored campus-based research cooperation to strengthen the impact of various empowerment programmes run by Baznas. The Minister also proposed the development of partial scholarships for students from vulnerable families who do not yet meet the criteria for recipients of the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) for College. This scheme is expected to help more students continue their higher education.