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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesian Scholarship Recipients Face Mandatory Military-Led Orientation

From Tempo · (13m ago) Indonesian Mixed tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Indonesian scholarship recipients must attend mandatory orientation sessions led by the military.
  • The program, scheduled for May 2026, includes outdoor activities and aims to instill nationalism and discipline.
  • Some recipients have expressed concerns about the military's involvement and the strict rules, including limited phone access.

The Indonesian government's decision to involve the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in the mandatory orientation for recipients of the Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) scholarships has sparked debate. While the LPDP states the military's role is limited to facilitating outdoor activities designed to foster teamwork and national values, some scholarship recipients have voiced strong objections.

I received information that we will be staying in tents and will not be allowed to use our mobile phones during the event. We can only use our phones for one hour a day. Almost everyone is questioning what this is for?

— Scholarship recipientA scholarship recipient expresses concerns about the conditions and necessity of the military-led orientation.

Concerns center on the perceived militaristic nature of the program, with reports of participants being housed in tents and having their mobile phone usage restricted to one hour per day. These conditions have led to questions about the necessity and appropriateness of military involvement in an academic preparation program. Critics argue that such an approach may not align with the goals of higher education and could create an uncomfortable or even intimidating environment for students.

The outdoor activities are also programmed and have been carried out in previous batches. This is not something new in the implementation of LPDP scholarship recipient orientation.

— M. Lukmanul HakimLPDP Head of Legal and Communication Division explains the continuity of military involvement in the orientation program.

The LPDP, however, maintains that this is not a new practice and has been part of previous orientation programs. They emphasize that the outdoor activities are intended to build camaraderie and resilience among the scholarship recipients, preparing them not only academically but also mentally and ethically for their studies abroad or within Indonesia. The program aims to instill a sense of nationalism and the values of the Indonesian nation, aligning with the LPDP's mission to develop future leaders for the country.

This outdoor event is also programmed and has been carried out in previous batches. This is not something new in the implementation of LPDP scholarship recipient orientation.

— M. Lukmanul HakimLPDP Head of Legal and Communication Division clarifies that military involvement in outdoor activities is a recurring practice.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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