Social Affairs Minister Responds to KIP Kuliah Concerns Over Welfare Data Changes
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Statistics Indonesia (BPS) have responded to the controversy surrounding changes in welfare status, or deciles, within the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN), which had unsettled some recipients of the Kartu Indonesia Pintar Kuliah (KIP-K) scholarship.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, stressed that the decile changes were not solely due to increased family incomes. He explained that the shifts could result from the dynamic process of updating national data. “This is one of the dynamics within our data. However, it can still be updated, and there is still an opportunity for updating,” he said during a press conference at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/7/2026).
Gus Ipul explained that socio-economic data changes daily due to factors such as deaths, marriages, relocations, and births. Therefore, data updating is crucial to maintaining the accuracy of the DTSEN. He added that citizens who feel their welfare data is inaccurate still have the opportunity to request an update. The process can be carried out formally through the Next Generation Social Welfare Information System (SIKS-NG) via village or sub-district data operators, or independently through the Cek Bansos application. “The Ministry of Social Affairs and BPS will carry out the updates. Updates can be done independently via the Cek Bansos application or by visiting the sub-district to meet with the village data operator or facilitator,” he stated.
Gus Ipul also emphasised that DTSEN is not the sole determinant for KIP Kuliah eligibility. He referred to the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Regulation Number 2 of 2026 concerning the Indonesia Pintar Programme for Higher Education. Under this regulation, students who are not classified as extremely poor or vulnerable to poverty in DTSEN still have the opportunity to receive KIP Kuliah through alternative pathways. “And now there is no need to worry, once again there is a second pathway that can be taken for the time being. That pathway is contained in Article 9 of the Ministerial Regulation of 2026,” he said. Article 9 stipulates that prospective KIP Kuliah recipients can still be designated as beneficiaries if their parents’ or guardians’ income is below the Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP), or if they possess a Certificate of Indigence (SKTM) from the village or sub-district government, subject to quota availability.
The Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed it is continuously coordinating with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology to ensure that students affected by the decile changes undergo a fair verification process before a final decision is made. Meanwhile, BPS Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti announced that her agency will accelerate the data updating process through the Cek DTSEN application. She stated that affected students will be able to submit data updates through a special channel currently being prepared. “So that decile updates can be done through a special channel, and we will accelerate the updating process,” Amalia said. She urged students who feel their welfare status is inaccurate to immediately utilise the facility once it becomes available. The government is taking these steps to ensure that education assistance is accurately targeted and to minimise the impact of data changes on KIP Kuliah recipients who are entitled to state educational support.