Education Ministry: Few Are Interested in Science and Technology Scholarships

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The Director General of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Djoko Santoso, said that very few are interested in scholarships for program studies in the fields of science and technology, engineering and agriculture despite the fact that science and technology is extremely needed to support the nation’s development in welcoming the bonus era of demography.

Each year, the Ministry allocates 1,000 masters degree and doctorate degree scholarships for studies abroad and 3,000 masters degree and doctorate degree scholarships for students to study in universities in the nation. However, the Ministry never runs out of these scholarships because few are interested. As a result, the Ministry uses the leftover scholarships on other fields of study.

There are 19,000 study programs in Indonesia contained in 3,200 universities. Out of the 19,000 study programs, 70% include programs in the field of science and technology, engineering and agriculture. Unfortunately, only 3% of the students are majoring in science and technology programs, 11% in engineering and 3.5% in agriculture.

Education Ministry: Few Are Interested in Science and Technology Scholarships

Kemdikbud: Beasiswa Iptek Sepi Peminat

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Dirjen Pendidikan Tinggi Kemdikbud Djoko Santoso mengatakan daya serap beasiswa perguruan tinggi di program studi (prodi) teknik dan sains masih rendah, akibat minimnya jumlah peminat di ketiga prodi tersebut.

Padahal di satu sisi, kebutuhan Sumber Daya Manusia (SDM) di bidang iptek sangat tinggi untuk menopang pembangunan menyongsong hadirnya era bonus demografi, kata Djoko Santoso di sela-sela acara pemberian beasiswa Rajawali Foundation kepada dosen dan mahasiswa Institut Teknologi DEL, Tobasa, Sumatera Utara, Sabu.

Setiap tahun, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan menyiapkan 1.000 beasiswa magister (S2) dan doktor (S3) untuk prodi teknik dan sains di luar negeri. Sedangkan beasiswa S2 dan S3 di Perguruan Tinggi dalam negeri jumlahnya mencapai 3.000 buah.

Penyerapan beasiswa yang rendah itu, kata Djoko Santoso tidak lepas dari masih rendahnya minat generasi muda Indonesia dalam menekuni ketiga bidang tersebut. “Jumlah generasi muda peminat bidang-bidang sains,teknik, dan pertanian sendiri masih rendah di S1, bahkan sejak di jenjang sekolah menengah,” ujar mantan Rektor ITB ini.

Students Lack Interest in Scholarships for Science and Technology

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The Director General for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Djoko Santoso, said few scholarships have been handed out to students majoring in fields related to science and technology because there are very few students interested in this field. This is despite the fact that a high amount of human resources are needed in fields related to science and technology in order to support the presence of the bonus era of demography.

Each year, the Ministry prepares 1,000 scholarships for masters’ degrees and doctorate degrees for science and technology majors overseas. Meanwhile, there are 3,000 scholarships prepared for the same study programs for universities in the nation. Unfortunately, the Ministry never runs out of these scholarships because students lack interest in this field.

Indonesia has 19,000 study programs contained in 3,200 state and private universities. Out of these 19,000 study programs, only 70 percent contain programs for science, engineering and agriculture. Unfortunately, only 3% of students major in science, 11 percent in engineering, and 3.5% in agriculture.

On a separate note, Rajawali Foundation is currently offering full scholarships to 25 students and scholarships for teachers to continue their studies in universities overseas, such as Harvard and other universities. These scholarships are aimed at being a small contribution in efforts to increase the quality and amount of human resources in the fields of public policy and science and technology.

Students Lack Interest in Scholarships for Science and Technology

Beasiswa Iptek Bukan Incaran

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Ditjen Pendidikan Tinggi Kemendikbud Djoko Santoso mengatakan daya serap beasiswa perguruan tinggi di program studi (prodi) teknik dan sains masih rendah, akibat minimnya jumlah peminat di ketiga prodi tersebut. Padahal, kebutuhan Sumber Daya Manusia (SDM) di bidang iptek sangat tinggi untuk menopang pembangunan menyongsong hadirnya era bonus demografi.

Setiap tahun, Kemendikbud menyiapkan 1.000 beasiswa magister (S-2) dan doktor (S-3) untuk prodi teknik dan sains diluar negeri. Sedangkan, beasiswa S-2 dan S-3 diperguruan tinggi negeri jumlahnya mencapai 3.000 buah.

Dunias usaha

Menurut Direktur Rajawali Foundation Agung Binantoro mengatakan rendahnya minat pada bidang-bidang teknik, sains, dan pertanian. Dalam kesempatan tersebut, Rajawali Foundation memberikan beasiswa untuk mahasiswa-mahasiswa yang berprestasi. Beasiswa ini berupa pembiayaan kuliah hingga lulus, sedangkan untuk dosen, beasiswa berupa biaya kuliah gratis diluar negeri ke Havard dan sejumlah kampus lainnya.

Sejak tingkat menengah

Sementara itu, Direktur Jenderal Pendidikan Menengah Kemendikbud Ahmad Jazidie mengakui jika minat terhadap bidang-bidang iptek sudah rendah sejak di jenjang sekolah menengah, sehingga berdampak pada minimnya jumlah siswa yang berminat melanjutkan kuliah di jenjang-jenjang berikutnya.