The allocation of scholarships to students coming from low- and lower-middle income economies is crucial in promoting the SDG 1.3 that advocates for the safeguarding of the poor and the vulnerable through social protection policies. In Indonesia, UGM has shown this commitment through several scholarship schemes directed to students from developing nations, aiming at human resource development as well as global integration.
Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship is one of these initiatives which has been awarded to more than 1,600 students from 97 countries. The KNB scholarship entails full funding of Master’s and Doctoral degree programs which includes tuition fees and allowances for air travel, living expenses and health cover. Additionally, students are provided with preparatory courses in learning Bahasa Indonesia to help them in adjusting to the local environment. KNB formally stems from the development and dissemination of education among the Global South students that KNB helps to build up Indonesia’s education system while contributing to its human sustainable development.
Another program that UGM offers is the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Scholarship. With this, students from Non-Aligned Movement member countries who wish to study at the university can obtain a Master’s degree program. This scheme, which was established with assistance from the NAM Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation, includes all the key academics costs such as tuition fees, research expenses, living allowances and air tickets. In addition to creating an avenue for education, the NAM grant also encourages soft power by working on cultural integration, and that is why students are able to get an educative and cultural package in Indonesia.
Also, UGM hosts Gadjah Mada International Fellowship (GMIF) which is a program intended for students from ASEAN and Global South as well. The aim of the scholarship is to develop the next generations who will be able to deal with challenges of development in their countries and at the same time contribute to global progress. The grant for GMIF involves inter-nation collaboration, and this strengthens UGM’s aim of providing solutions to the world’s problems in an innovative way.
Furthermore, the Darmasiswa Indonesian Scholarship motivates scholarship holders from countries that have diplomatic relations with Indonesia to study the language and art, as well as the culture of the country. UGM promotes education by integrating foreign students into its social and cultural milieu and promotes understanding and cooperation among diverse communities.
In these scholarship programs, UGM puts into practice principle SDG 1.3, providing access in education to students of disadvantaged groups. This approach goes beyond financial aid; it helps students to implement the opportunities of coming out of poverty to break the cycle; it encourages cooperation worldwide and trains leaders who can contribute meaningfully to the development of their home countries. Such initiatives enhance the ability of the university to be in the center of global education, which in turn fits with larger sustainable development goals addressing inequality and economic social growth.