The Rector of UIN Salatiga will grant scholarships to Filipino and PIDs.

Manila, Philippines, Monday morning, April 29, 2024, UIN Salatiga appointed 4 people, namely the Rector, Head of Institute for Research and Community Service (LP2M), Head of International Cooperation Center, and Secretary of Faculty of Islamic Economy and Business (FEBI), to do UIN Salatiga promotion to Philippines. The first agenda is to visit Indonesian Education and Culture Attache (Atdikbud RI) in Manila. The visit was welcomed by the Atdikbud, Prof. Dr. Ir. Aisyah Endah Palupi, M.P.D., who also served as Plt. Head of Davao Indonesian School, Southern Philippines. She tells a lot about the fate of the PIDs (the Persons of Indonesian Descents), who need attention, especially from an educational point of view. They are the Indonesian sons and daughters of four generations of Indonesians. They are also less fortunate to live in another country with uncertain lives, yet they are eager for a better life ahead. Then, the Rector of UIN Salatiga welcomed the proposal of the Atdikbud in connection with the granting of scholarships for the PIDs. He said, “We will try to provide scholarships for both Muslims and non-Muslims, covering three things: Tuition Fee (UKT) IDR 0, accommodation like a place to live, and monthly allowance of about USD 50.” The head of LP2M also added, “Pickup service from the station and the airport around Yogyakarta and Central Java, the campus is also ready to serve. Likewise, if the student wants to work part-time to help the living cost at the weekend, we’re allowed. Because last year, we accepted as many as 23 students from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, we can also accept students from Indonesian school from Philippines. 

“We have some Filipino Muslims who intend to study in Indonesia, they are in the southern Philippines, or who are known as the Moro nation. We are also ready to help, if UIN Salatiga intends to cooperate with the colleges in the Philippines,” said Ibu Atdikbud.

The UIN Salatiga International Cooperation Centre also left a few brochures for the promotion of foreign students there, also coordinating with the Atdikbud team, to upload the soft file of the brochure on the Instagram of Atdikbud RI at Manila.

Day two (30/04/2024) is visiting to Wisdom Islamic School in Davao City, Philippines. The goal is to promote Salatiga UIN to prospective foreign st0udents there, for any levels. The head of their school, Dr. Saprola is a Master (S2) and post-graduate (S3 of a college in Indonesia, so it creates the enthusiasm of his students and teachers for schools in Indonesia. “Insha Allah, we are ready to help this promotion, and we try as hard as possible to get students or teachers who will study at UIN Salatiga,” He said in English and quite fluent Indonesian language. In addition to promotion activities, UIN Salatiga also signed a MoU with this school so that in the future more collaborative academic activities are held.

The next visit is to the Indonesian Consulate General and the Indonesian School in Davao. Mr. Agus Trenggono as the Indonesian Consulate General (Konjen) and the team welcomed the arrival of UIN Salatiga along with the teachers at Indonesia School Davao (SID). Konjen, KBRI, and especially Atdikbud will also lend a hand in connection with the good intentions of UIN Salatiga in granting scholarships for the PIDs in SID. They will help in the clarity of the identity of children or the acquisition of Indonesian ID Card as a condition of such scholarship. The visit closed with a personal look at SID and the condition of the students. (MFL/S)