REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Director General of Islamic Education of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia, M Ali Ramdhani said that his agency will soon disburse Indonesia Smart Program Scholarship (PIP) 2024 amounting to Rp 900 Billion for madrasah students. This PIP scholarship is intended for madrasah students of primary and secondary education levels.
M. Ali Ramdhani, also known as Kang Dhani, emphasized that PIP is a form of government concern to underprivileged people in order to keep them in school.
“The students of the madrasah should aspire as high as possible. Let neither economic limitations nor other limitations limit their ideals. Fertilizer keeps the passion for learning and learning. Don't worry about the cost. The Indonesian government has facilitated all of you,” said Kang Dhani in a press release received by Republika on Wednesday (14/2/2024).
According to him, there should not be any student who cannot continue his education. Therefore, the government provides scholarships for Indonesian children, one of them through the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
“Let no student be able to continue a high-quality secondary education just because of economic limitations,” he said.
Director of KSKK Madrasah, M Sidik Sisdiyanto explained that his agency has prepared a budget for PIP Madrasah amounting to Rp.1,302,009,650,000.
This amount consists of Rp 422 billion for Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) students, Rp 558 billion for Tsanawiyah Madrasah (MTs) students, and 320 billion for Madrasah Aliyah (MA) students.
M. Sidik Sisidiyanto explained that the budget will be disbursed in two stages. The first tranche was disbursed in the second week of February 2024, amounting to Rp 900 billion.
“Thank God, this year for the first time ever, PIP Madrasah nominally experienced an increase for Madrasah Aliyah levels, which were originally only 1 million per student at this time to 1.8 million per student,” Sidik said.
“We very much understand that although this budget is large, it has not been able to reach all learners who have met the PIP recipient criteria,” he explained.
According to him, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will continue to coordinate with other ministries/institutions regarding budget replenishment so as to be able to accommodate all madrasah students who have met the requirements as stipulated in the applicable provisions.
For the process of distributing PIP, the Provincial Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kankemenag District/City, and Madrasah Education Unit are requested to coordinate with the Distributing Bank. Synergy aims to provide assistance and also easy and efficient access to all learners related to the disbursement of the PIP budget.
Sidik added that synergies are needed to ensure that the budget already entered in the account can be immediately withdrawn by the students concerned and used to the maximum extent to support their learning activities at the madrasah. He also reminded that there are no punli practices related to this PIP in the field.
“This is a very noble program for this nation. Therefore, do it sincerely and solemnly as part of devotion to religion, nusa and nation at once. Thus, whatever we do is worthy of worship and has a reward in the afterlife,” Sidik said.
