The Sukamdi family is humble. Sukamdi works as a laborer with uncertain income, while his wife, Wijirah, is a housewife. Sukamdi has two daughters. Sukamdi's older daughter is Mutiara Pesona Bil Jannah, studying at the Pancasila and Civic Education study program at the Faculty of Social Sciences batch 2019. Meanwhile, the younger daughter, Widya Happy Hakiki, is also studying in the same study program batch 2021. What's interesting about this family is that Sukamdi's two daughters have succeeded to study at UNY for free.
Sukamdi was initially surprised when Mutiara wanted to continue her education at university. Wijrah as a mother, also feels anxious because she thinks about the weight of paying for her child's college fees. "I was sick thinking about it," said Wijirah, Wednesday (11/5).
However, this family finally felt grateful because both Mutiara and Happy were finally able to study at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) with scholarships. Mutiara received a bidikmisi scholarship and Happy received a KIP University scholarship. Both of them were able to study for free in the Pancasila and Citizenship education study program.
Mutiara admitted that the Guidance and Counseling teacher at SMAN 1 Cangkringan had a hand in her decision to study with a scholarship. "Before taking the entrance exam, I did a mapping of my friends' choice of study programs," said Mutiara, telling the story of the beginning of her struggle. After doing the mapping, Mutiara finally decided to choose a study program for Pancasila and Citizenship Education. As for Happy, apart from knowing the interest of prospective students, she also prepared herself diligently to study without attending tutoring due to lack of funds. "I study since the morning before going to school," said Happy.
Mutiara and Happy's success in studying for free at UNY is a positive example that emphasizes the importance of quality education to encourage sustainable social mobility. With wider educational opportunities, we may organize various poverty alleviation efforts better. The open access to education for men and women in the admission selection process and the scholarship selection process is another proof that gender equality is not a myth. Every year, UNY openly accepts prospective students from various economic, gender, and regional statuses transparently.
