Better Understand Indonesia

Increasing Applicants for Darmasiswa Program

Darmasiswa program is a partial scholarship program for foreign students from various countries who are interested in studying Indonesian and Indonesian culture, such as music, dance, craft, and other traditional arts. Participants can choose one of the subjects mentioned above in various public universities and private ones that have been trusted by the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemdikbud) to participate in Darmasiswa.

Darmasiswa Program that is opened each year by the Ministry of Education and Culture through the Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation (PKLN) demand continues to increase from year to year. This year, about 2,400 foreign students applied to the program participants. However, only 750 students from 77 countries who successfully passed the selection and placed in 59 colleges to follow the program for one or two semesters.

The Program which was first held in 1974 that, to date has been attended by 4,116 people from 97 countries. Initially, countries participating in the program only countries in Southeast Asia (ASEAN). But then expanded to countries in other continents were joined.Its main purpose is to promote and increase interest in foreign students to the language and culture of Indonesia. In effect, participants from various countries are increasingly aware of Indonesia with its potential, then followed a link or relationship as well as the availability of a more robust understanding among participating countries. For the Indonesian government, the soft diplomacy continues to be maintained in order to participate in the prosperity of the world by promoting the principles of trust and cooperation in various fields.

In Unila, Darmasiswa Program already excited five times since the academic year year of 2007/2008 when two male students from Germany and China to learn Indonesian with regular classes at the Department of FKIP Unila. The program is currently managed by the Unila BAPSIK Cooperation Division and has brought more than 42 foreign students from several countries such as Germany, China, Cambodia, Japan, Madagascar, the United States, Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, and Thailand to learn the language and culture of Indonesia. (Source: REAKSI: Media Informasi Unila Ed. II/2013).