Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is calling for a fivefold increase in the number of recipients of scholarships provided by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP). 

Jokowi said that the present budget allocation for LPDP scholarships has reached Rp 139 trillion ($8.94 billion), a considerable rise compared to the initial endowment of just Rp 1 trillion when LPDP was initially established.  

Last year, 5,260 individuals were granted LPDP scholarships, with 2,964 being males and 2,314 females. This included 1,890 applicants for domestic master's degrees, 1,967 applicants for international master's degrees, 481 applicants for domestic doctoral degrees, 391 applicants for international doctoral degrees, and 531 applicants for domestic specialist programs. 

"This is still far from sufficient. I believe it needs to be increased at least fivefold from the current numbers," said Jokowi during the 25th Annual Meeting of the Indonesian Rectors Forum (FRI) in East Java on Monday.

Although Jokowi acknowledged that the number of LPDP scholarship recipients has risen sevenfold since its inception in 2013, this figure remains insufficient, especially considering the low ratio of the educated population with master's and doctoral degrees in Indonesia, currently standing at a mere 0.45 percent. This percentage is notably below neighboring countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, which boast figures of 2.43 percent, and advanced nations at 9.8 percent.

"While it does require a substantial budget and significant financing, it remains our obligation to find a way to lift our ratio," Jokowi said.

The President said that the budget allocation for the education sector over the past 15 years (2009-2024) amounted to Rp 6,400 trillion, but needed to be fully optimized to support educational and research financing.

"Maximizing funding for education and research is imperative, drawing not only from the state and regional budget but also by tapping into our endowment funds, potentially establishing connections with the industry through matching funds. This is also crucial," he said.