24 UGM students received scholarships from the Indonesia Morowali Industry Park (IMIP) Peduli Foundation. The scholarship recipients were from the Faculty of Engineering and the Vocational College.
The amount of the bonded scholarship covers each recipient’s tuition fees, so the total scholarship offered by the IMIP Foundation is Rp 321,500,000.
The scholarship was given by the HR Director of PT IMIP, Achmanto Mendatu, accompanied by the President Director of GCNS, Liu Jin Shan, witnessed by the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, and the Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Sindung Tjahyadi.
Dr. Sujito expressed his appreciation to the IMIP Foundation for providing scholarships for UGM students and his hope that this scholarship will support the smooth running of their studies.
He said this scholarship is a form of trust and commitment from UGM and IMIP to support education development for students who will later become part of Indonesia’s industrial development process.
“I think the partnership of UGM with the central government, local government, and the private sector is essential, especially in driving technological transformation. This synergy will certainly strengthen and advance the agendas in achieving strategic goals,” he said in the UGM Multimedia Room 2 on Monday (Dec. 9).
For the vice-rector, this scholarship support will help UGM students hone their abilities, which require mastering technology inside and outside the classroom.
He believes cooperation with the industrial world will open up more learning spaces. Students will have choices in advancing themselves to obtain the necessary competencies.
“Hopefully, it will later connect with the usefulness and needs of the industrial world. The rapid development of the industrial world in Indonesia will be a challenge for us. It’s not just about technical devices but also social responsibilities. Therefore, industrial development efforts in Indonesia have a vision for ecological development,” he added.
Achmanto Mendatu added that there are two reasons why the industrial world cares about education in Indonesia. First, the government encourages it. The government aims to accelerate the nation’s mission, which is a Golden Indonesia in 2045.
“At that time, Indonesia at least aspires to be a high-income country,” he said.
Second, there are development sectors that need to be improved. One of them is the downstream sector, which is believed to be able to increase income. Mendatu hopes that many scholarships will be given in the future.
He acknowledged that providing these scholarships would entice students to work in the downstream industry in the future.
“My message is that work is difficult. Don’t imagine working like what’s on TikTok, okay,” he said.
As an engineering graduate, he said, graduates who want to work must be willing to sweat. They may get oily, dusty, muddy, and so on.
“At first, it has to be like that; no job journey is immediately pleasant. We hope you will stay in our industry later. However, it is not impossible to move after the scholarship requirements are met,” he added.
Liu Jin Shan further stated that education is the foundation of societal progress and the key to producing a superior generation in the future.
He conveyed that since its establishment, PT Guang Ching Nickel and Stainless Steel (GCNS) has supported the IMIP Peduli Foundation and is committed to contributing to social progress, with education as one of its main focuses.
“Through cooperation with UGM, we hope to provide wider learning opportunities for outstanding students so that they can fully develop their potential and create more value for society,” he explained.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Firsto