Indonesia expands overseas scholarships for civil servants
The commitment was reaffirmed through a workshop on overseas training and scholarship opportunities for civil servants, organized by the ministry’s Center for Cooperation Facilitation (Fasker) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives’ Commission II, Bahtra Banong, said enhancing the capacity of civil servants is one of the key foundations for realizing Indonesia’s Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
“The transformation of public governance will only succeed if it is supported by civil servants who are competitive, adaptive, innovative, and globally minded,” he said in a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
Bahtra made the remarks during a discussion titled “Strengthening Civil Servant Capacity Through Overseas Training and Scholarships to Support Professional and Globally Competitive Governance,” held at Sasana Bhakti Praja, the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters.
According to Bahtra, efforts to improve the competency of civil servants should go hand in hand with bureaucratic reform through regulatory simplification, the adoption of information technology, and the implementation of transparent, accountable, effective, and efficient governance.
With stronger capabilities, civil servants are expected to become key drivers of bureaucratic reform by delivering high-quality public services while supporting sustainable development.
Bahtra noted that Law No. 20 of 2023 on State Civil Apparatus (ASN) provides opportunities for civil servants to develop their competencies through various programs, including training, seminars, discussions, study assignments, short courses, overseas scholarships, internships, fellowships, and employee exchange programs.
He said these initiatives are important instruments for accelerating workforce development while narrowing competency gaps. Studying abroad, he added, also provides valuable experience and fresh perspectives that can be applied to public administration in Indonesia.
“Civil servants who study abroad are expected to return as agents of change, bringing back best practices to strengthen policymaking, governance, and public service delivery in Indonesia,” Bahtra said.
He added that overseas study not only enhances knowledge and foreign language proficiency but also expands international networks, accelerates technology and cultural transfer, and broadens participants’ perspectives.
Bahtra also reaffirmed Commission II’s support for the Ministry of Home Affairs’ efforts to expand access to education and training for civil servants, including through overseas scholarship programs.
According to him, developing the competency of civil servants is a long-term investment in building a professional, adaptive bureaucracy capable of competing globally.
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Translator: Fianda, Azis Kurmala