TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsWhy the debate on LPDP awardees persists
Beyond the recent outrage online, the recurring debate over LPDP awardees reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how long-term national investment actually works.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Sudarto (center), president director of the Education Endowment Fund (LPDP), addresses a media briefing on Feb. 25, 2026, at the Finance Ministry in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta. (Antara/Imamatul Silfia)
A
s we move into a new year, we should expect the annual debate regarding recipients of the government’s Education Endowment Fund (LPDP) scholarship to spark once again on social media. In fact, the conversation is already heating up, fueled by intense public outcry following a statement from an awardee whose child was granted British citizenship.
However, let’s not discuss the moral rationale of her specific choice. Instead, we had better direct our conversation toward a more constructive discussion on our collective good, both as awardees and as taxpayers.
It is entirely valid for Indonesians, as taxpayers, to expect a return on their investment from LPDP awardees, especially those who studied abroad. It is equally true that awardees must honor their commitment to contribute to the nation’s progress.
However, there are complex layers to this issue that make the questions of how, when and where that contribution should be delivered far more complicated than simply "return and contribute immediately”.
A primary reason this debate persists is the expectation gap. Most people demand instant, visible impact. There is an assumption that once an awardee returns to Indonesia, they will immediately deliver groundbreaking results. We frequently encounter expectations that awardees should create jobs and absorb the workforce by utilizing the connections they made during their studies.
Unfortunately, the public often overlooks the fact that job creation requires much more than a master’s or doctoral degree. This is especially true for awardees from the lower middle class who are obliged to return immediately without prior industrial exposure. Creating jobs requires capital and to some extent, political influence.
Moreover, not all students are natural entrepreneurs. Many are professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, police officers, soldiers and scientists, with specialized skills needed for specific roles in society. This is why the LPDP scholarship program does not exclusively demand job creation. Its main purpose is to build future leaders and professionals across various strategic sectors.
