Jakarta. The Finance Ministry has announced the cancellation of the 2025 Ministerial Scholarship program, following a directive to streamline the budgets for ministries and agencies.

The cancellation aligns with Presidential Instruction No. 1/2025 on Efficiency in the Implementation of the State Budget (APBN) and Regional Budget (APBD) for the 2025 fiscal year, as well as Finance Ministry Letter No. S-37/MK.02/2025. Wahyu Kusuma Romadhoni, Head of the Financial Education and Training Agency (BPPK) under the ministry, expressed regret over the decision, stating on Wednesday that the application process for the scholarship program would be halted immediately.

The Ministerial Scholarship, typically offered to outstanding candidates within the Finance Ministry to pursue graduate education abroad, aimed to enhance the ministry's human resource capabilities. The program had opened for registration on January 10 and was set to close on February 9, but will no longer proceed as planned.

This decision is part of broader fiscal tightening measures mandated by President Prabowo Subianto. In an effort to reduce spending by Rp 306.69 trillion ($18.9 billion) for the current fiscal year, President Prabowo has instructed both central and regional governments to cut expenditures.

The government has redirected these funds to support a key initiative of the president’s flagship program, which provides free nutritious meals for children and expectant mothers. An additional Rp 100 trillion has been allocated for this project.

Under the presidential directive, central government agencies are required to reduce their budgets by Rp 256.1 trillion, while Rp 50.5 trillion will be deducted from funds transferred to provincial governments.