Wamendikdasmen: Guruku Scholarship to Expand Access to Teacher Education

Jakarta — The Deputy Minister of Education for Primary and Secondary (Wamendikdasmen) Atip Latipulhayat has praised the Guruku Scholarship Programme, initiated by Padjadjaran University (Unpad), to strengthen teachers’ capacity through improvements in competence, leadership, and expanded access to higher education for Indonesian educators. He said the programme is a tangible reflection of the commitment across education sectors, including higher education, to enhance teachers’ capacity as central agents determining national education quality. ‘The keyword now after qualification is competence. One important element, and indeed perhaps about 50 percent of the achievement of quality education, rests with the teachers,’ Wamendikdasmen Atip said in a written statement in Jakarta on Friday. Although formal teacher qualifications at the D4 or S1 level are now nearly 100 percent, that achievement does not necessarily translate into commensurate competence. ‘Deep learning must begin with mastery of content knowledge. Many teachers are only now applying deep learning procedures, but the depth is not optimal because of limited mastery of the material,’ Atip said. He explained that the Guruku scholarship programme focuses on two main aspects: strengthening content knowledge and teacher leadership. According to him, the two aspects are foundational for delivering high-quality and sustainable education. One Guruku scholarship recipient, Ihwan, a teacher from SDN 1 Bojong, Pangandaran Regency, West Java Province (Jawa Barat), said he is grateful for the opportunity to continue his studies through the programme. ‘This is not the end of my struggle as a teacher, but the start to keep learning, reflecting, and growing into a better educator,’ Ihwan said. The three schemes are a full scholarship covering 100 percent of tuition, a partial scholarship covering 75 percent, and a supporting scholarship covering 50 percent of tuition. The schemes apply to participants admitted to 18 Master’s study programmes at Unpad, in accordance with the provisions set. Through the Guruku Programme, the government, together with higher education institutions, hopes to produce more outstanding teachers who not only have strong academic competencies but also leadership to drive quality education for Indonesia’s future generations.