Patriot Scholarship Officially Postponed Due to Fiscal Constraints

SURABAYA - The Patriot Scholarship programme will not be implemented in 2026. Transmigration Minister M Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara stated that the postponement is due to fiscal constraints and economic conditions. “We can convey that the scholarship programme is likely to be postponed and will not be carried out this year, given that the budget we have will be directly allocated and implemented for the immediate needs of the people,” Iftitah said at Grha ITS, Surabaya, East Java, on Friday (18/04/2026). “Therefore, the Ekspedisi Patriot will not involve much research this year, but rather applications for the people’s needs such as basic infrastructure and derivatives of the PKPN or National Priority Work Programme,” Iftitah explained. The Ekspedisi Patriot programme has already gained prominence among the academic community. In its initial launch phase, the Ministry of Transmigration only partnered with seven renowned universities in the country, including Universitas Indonesia (UI), IPB University, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP), Universitas Padjajaran (UNPAD), and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Meanwhile, this year, three new universities will join the Ekspedisi Patriot programme, namely Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), Universitas Brawijaya, and Universitas Hasanuddin. Iftitah said that the Ekspedisi Patriot will be focused on eastern Indonesia, particularly Papua, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives. In the Land of the Bird of Paradise, 10 transmigration areas will be developed. “There are eight clusters, one of which is poverty alleviation, job provision, and also increasing community income. We will focus on the 10 transmigration areas in Papua,” Iftitah revealed. “However, there will also be some locations in central Indonesia, for example in Central Sulawesi, and in western Indonesia in Rempang where we will carry out acceleration,” he added. To support this, the Ministry of Transmigration is allocating 35 percent of its budget for the revitalisation of basic infrastructure in 154 transmigration areas. In 2026, the Ministry of Transmigration will receive an indicative budget allocation of Rp 1.902 trillion. “So the major transmigration programmes consist of two. First, revitalisation. Second, transformation in the form of Patriot Transmigration (Ekspedisi Patriot and Beasiswa Patriot),” Iftitah concluded.