Reasons for LPDP's Mobile Phone Restrictions During Awardee Orientation at Halim
The Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) has enforced restrictions on mobile phone usage for scholarship recipients participating in the orientation programme at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta from 4 to 9 May 2026. M. Lukmanul Hakim, Head of the Legal and Communications Division of LPDP, stated that the mobile phone usage limitation is part of the mandatory rules that awardees must follow.
According to him, LPDP considered several factors in deciding to restrict gadget usage during the event. For instance, it serves as a precaution to keep gadget use controlled so as not to distract from the proceedings.
“This regulation is intended to maintain participants’ focus during the orientation series, encourage interaction and active participation in various activities, and support the creation of a conducive and effective learning atmosphere,” Lukman said via a short message on Monday, 4 May 2026.
LPDP is holding the Departure Preparation (PK) event for 206 prospective master’s and doctoral students from batch 273 before they begin their studies at their respective universities. This orientation is claimed to be an important part to ensure the readiness of scholarship recipients, both academically and non-academically.
In addition, LPDP aims to equip scholarship recipients with character building, national values, leadership, ethics, as well as mental and social preparedness. “So that awardees can carry out their studies optimally and responsibly as recipients of state scholarships,” he added.
LPDP awardees have protested the gadget usage restriction, which only allows access to mobile phones for one hour each day. One participant, who declined to be named, said the mobile phone restriction rule was presented as part of the quarantine concept during the event. “Phones can only be held for one hour a day. Apparently to keep participants focused during activities,” he said on Friday, 1 May 2026.
According to him, the policy has become an issue for several participants, especially those who need to stay in communication with family in areas with time differences. “Friends from eastern Indonesia feel disadvantaged. When they get time to hold their phones, it’s already night there, even their children are asleep,” he stated.
He said information regarding the mobile phone usage restriction was not conveyed from the beginning. Details of the new rule were only provided by the committee close to the event implementation, along with other technical information. “It wasn’t explained in the initial invitation. Only later were we informed of the technical details like this,” he said.
According to the participant, several scholarship recipients have voiced objections to the committee. However, the organisers stated that the rule is a management decision. “Initially, it was said that phones couldn’t be held at all, then it was negotiated to one hour a day,” he added.
Batch 273 awardees will not only use military facilities at the Halim Perdanakusuma complex, but they will also receive training from TNI soldiers, such as marching drills. The TNI stated that their involvement is based on an official request from LPDP, which was ultimately approved.