A total of 944 Bidikmisi awardees attended the Bidikmisi Development on Going Academic Year / 2019 at UNY Thursday (12/19). Bidikmisi is a tuition assistance program from the government for high school or equivalent graduates who have good academic potential with poor financial background. It’s quite different from most scholarships that focus on giving awards or financial support to those who excel. However, the conditions of achievement at Bidikmisi are aimed at ensuring that Bidikmisi recipients are selected from those who truly have the potential and willingness to complete higher education.

The coaching activities carried out in two places, namely in the Digital Library Building and in the PAUD FIP Lab, aimed to monitor the achievements of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 bidikmisi students.

Head of Academic, Student, and Cooperation Bureau of UNY Setyo Budi Takarina expressed his concern that there are still some students who have not yet passed the ICT & Pro TOEfL even though it is a requirement to graduate, so it is necessary to monitor the progress of the study. In addition to these concerns, consideration of the GPA value is still low. Furthermore, it was stated that the obligation of Bidikmisi recipients is to comply with Bidikmisi performance contracts with the organizer of the tertiary institution, and to play an active role and contribute to the implementation of tertiary education.

In his presentation, UNY Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Prof. Anik Ghufron said that student activities were very important to create competitive human resources for Indonesia. Prof.Anik Ghufron hopes that Bidikmisi students can improve soft skills which include teamwork leaders, communication skills, problem solvers, and time management, so they can be useful in the community.

While the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Prof. Margana, said that the objectives of the Bidikmisi program are a) providing tuition assistance to prospective students who meet the criteria to undertake Diploma / Bachelor education until completion and on time, b) increase motivation to learn and the achievements of prospective students, especially those who face economic constraints, c) ensure the continuity of student studies to finish on time, and e) produce graduates who are independent, productive and have social care. So, he advised hopefully the provision of Bidikmisi can be on target, and the goal is achieved well. In the end, he advised to use scholarships wisely, for the purposes of study, to achieve achievements, to finish graduation soon. (Sdr.; Tj.Lak)