TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director of the education endowment fund management (LPDP) Andin Hadiyanto said his side is working with the Directorate General of Immigration to track down the whereabouts of the LPDP scholarship recipients who did not return to Indonesia and stayed abroad.

“The alumni are required to return to Indonesia no later than 90 days after their graduation date,” Andin told Tempo on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Issues about awardees who decided to stay abroad have made the rounds on social media. A netizen of Twitter posted a conversation about a number of awardees who were reluctant to return home to Indonesia after finishing their studies.

Based on the post, an awardee couple said one of their reasons was because they wanted to send their children to school for free in the UK. After the husband completed his PhD program for a minimum of four years, the wife continued her study. They survive abroad by doing manual labor to avoid taxes.

Andin underlined that awardees receiving written permission to continue their doctoral studies would mean it would cancel their obligation to return to Indonesia. Violators will be given a sanction in the form of a warning letter.

If they do not return within 30 days after the warning letter is issued, Andin went on, they will be immediately subject to severe sanctions; revocation of the LPDP awardee status and obligation to return all the scholarship funds.

These provisions are stipulated in the General Guidelines for Scholarship Awardees Candidates and Awardees which are accessible through the LPDP official website.

“People who find indications of violations, both related to the provisions for returning to Indonesia or other violations, can make a report through the Whistle Blower System page wise.kemenkeu.go.id,” Andin concluded.

DEVY ERNIS

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