LPDP Scholarship Recipients to Undergo Military Drill Training During Orientation
Recipients of scholarships from the Education Fund Management Institution (LPDP) this year are required to attend an orientation programme before departure, which will be conducted by the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). They will be trained in marching drills and receive orientation on strengthening nationalism.
The training will take place at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta. “In accordance with the letter addressed to the TNI, in this case the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, to provide instruction on marching drills, discipline, and character building,” said Head of the Indonesian Air Force Information Service, First Marshal I Nyoman Suadnyana, to Tempo on Sunday, 3 May 2026.
Nyoman stated that the marching drill training and orientation on nationalistic values by the TNI is a request from LPDP. “The Indonesian Air Force is fundamentally only assisting by providing the venue and instructors for the material as per LPDP’s request, so it will not deviate from the purpose of the activity,” said Nyoman.
Based on the activity letter received by Tempo, the orientation will run from 4-9 May 2026 at the Marshal Sukardi Building, Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base. The letter notes that 206 participants are scheduled to attend the event.
They consist of scholarship recipients for master’s and doctoral programmes, both for studies in Indonesia and abroad. All activities in the series are mandatory before participants begin their studies.
Head of the Legal and Communications Division of LPDP, M. Lukmanul Hakim, said that TNI involvement is only for supervising outdoor activities. TNI personnel will guide the outdoor sessions that are part of the scholarship recipients’ orientation programme.
Lukman claimed that the agenda is not the same as defence training, even though it is held in a military area and involves TNI personnel. “The choice of location or implementation method does not change the purpose or content of the orientation provided,” he said when contacted on Friday night, 1 May 2026.