Transmigration Minister Plans Undergraduate Scholarships for Barelang Residents
BATAM (ANTARA) — Transmigration Minister Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara plans to provide undergraduate scholarships for local residents in the Barelang transmigration area (Batam–Rempang–Galang), Batam, Riau Islands, to strengthen local human resources and help meet the industrial sector’s labour needs.
Iftitah said the government was also considering expanding access to higher education to master’s level through the development of Kampus Patriot, in collaboration with several national universities.
“We will provide undergraduate scholarships for local residents,” Iftitah said after the 2026 Transmigration Festival in Tanjung Banon, Rempang Island, Batam, on Sunday.
He explained that the plan was designed to enable local people to pursue higher education without having to travel far from their homes.
Universities that could potentially take part in developing educational activities in the area include Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the University of Indonesia (UI) and Diponegoro University (Undip).
“We also do not want local residents to have to go far away to study,” he said.
Iftitah said modular buildings were already available in the Barelang transmigration area and had been used by German participants in academic activities for more than a week.
The activities involved 20 students and three staff members from Germany’s Technical University of Munich (TUM), who joined Undip in studying and conducting field observations on the development of the transmigration area.
Although the facilities have been used for academic activities, Iftitah did not specify when regular classes under Kampus Patriot would begin, how many undergraduate scholarships would be available to Barelang residents, or how student admissions would work.
The Transmigration Ministry previously announced plans to provide master’s-level Patriot Scholarships in partnership with national universities, with classes intended to be held in transmigration areas.
Iftitah said the higher education initiative aimed to connect business needs with skills development for local communities.
“The Transmigration Ministry is bridging the business world and education so that the education people receive benefits the community,” he said.
He said human resources needed to be developed alongside investment and industrial growth in Batam, so local residents would have the opportunity to fill a range of jobs.
Through higher education, local people are expected not only to take entry-level jobs but also to secure professional and managerial positions.
Iftitah said the approach was part of an effort to ensure that local transmigration communities directly benefit from economic development in their regions.
He added that if the model linking education with industry needs succeeded in Barelang, it could be applied in other transmigration areas.
“If this succeeds as a pilot project, God willing, we will develop it throughout Indonesia,” Iftitah said.
He cited Mamuju in West Sulawesi as one potential location, where mining development is planned and local human resources need to be prepared in line with the area’s potential.