LPDP Scholarship Row: Education Expert Says Awardees Feel No Debt to the Nation

Indra Charismiadji, Executive Director of the Centre for Education Regulations and Development Analysis (Cerdas), has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a woman identified as DS, whose social media post stating “It’s enough that I’m an Indonesian citizen — not my children” sparked public outrage. According to Indra, many recipients of scholarships from the Education Fund Management Agency (LPDP) do not feel indebted to the state.

Indra said LPDP scholarships give the impression of being handed out without clear obligations, ultimately producing cases like DS, who showed no sense of responsibility to the country.

“This is what happens in the end: someone receives an LPDP scholarship but feels no responsibility towards the nation, because they don’t feel they owe the country anything,” Indra said on Saturday (21 February 2026).

“The selection process is also insufficiently rigorous. They are not choosing people who genuinely want to build Indonesia and fight for Indonesia,” he added.

He noted that the phenomenon of LPDP recipients not returning to Indonesia, as in the DS case, has been occurring for a long time. According to Indra, scholarship recipients prefer to work abroad because there are no jobs for them in Indonesia.

“This problem has actually existed for a long time. Thirty years ago, when I was studying in the United States, there were already many Indonesian students who received government scholarships but chose not to return. At the place where I studied, there was even someone selling gado-gado in America, because over there you can earn USD 5,000–6,000 a month,” Indra said.

He therefore proposed reforms to the scholarship system, urging the government to bind recipients by preparing employment positions for them upon their return.

“Compare this with scholarship models abroad. Recipients are never simply let go. Their careers have already been planned. Currently, if I were given an LPDP scholarship to study business, even though I’ve signed a contract to return, if I see better opportunities abroad, I might still choose to stay overseas,” he said.

Indra noted that this system is already practised in other countries. His fellow students who received scholarships from other nations already knew what jobs awaited them upon graduation.

“This isn’t even difficult. Other countries apply this model. My former classmates from Malaysia and Korea had clear pathways. They already knew where they would work, because their expertise was genuinely needed. It wasn’t arbitrary. Here, what matters is simply having a degree,” he said.

LPDP Responds

The LPDP scholarship recipient known by the initials DS stirred controversy after declaring “It’s enough that I’m an Indonesian citizen — not my children.” Now residing in the United Kingdom, she posted about her child receiving a passport from the British government.

LPDP expressed regret over the controversy, stating that DS’s actions did not reflect the values of integrity expected of awardees.

“LPDP regrets the social media controversy triggered by the actions of one alumna, DS. Her actions do not reflect the values of integrity, ethics, and professionalism that LPDP instils in all scholarship recipients,” the agency stated.

Meanwhile, her husband, also an LPDP awardee, is alleged not to have completed his service contribution. The couple are known to be residing in the United Kingdom.

“Under the regulations, all LPDP awardees and alumni are obliged to serve a contribution period in Indonesia equivalent to twice the duration of their studies plus one year,” LPDP said.

“In the case of DS, who undertook two years of study, the contribution obligation is five years,” it added.

LPDP confirmed that DS no longer has any ties to the agency, having completed her studies in August 2017.

“DS completed her master’s degree and graduated on 31 August 2017, and has fulfilled her entire service period in accordance with regulations. Consequently, LPDP no longer has any legal ties with the individual concerned,” it said.

“Nevertheless, LPDP will continue to communicate with DS to urge her to exercise greater wisdom in her use of social media, to be mindful of public sensitivities, and to remind her that LPDP scholarship recipients have a national duty to serve the country,” it added.