This year, nine types of scholarships have been offered to undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students, the ministry's acting director general of Hindu community guidance, Komang Sri Marheni, said in a written statement received here on Wednesday.
The scholarship program is also targeting Hindu teachers and lecturers. Marheni expressed the hope that the scholarships will positively impact the quality of Hindu religious education in Indonesia.
"There are special scholarships for Hindu teachers and lecturers because many of our teachers need to upgrade their qualifications so that the quality of Hindu education will become better," she said.
Related news: Indonesian Hindu University performed kecak ramayana dance in india
It is hoped that the provision of the scholarships would help answer the problem of the shortage of Hindu religious teachers, which is a crucial problem that the Hindu community is currently facing, Marheni added.
"We hope that the beneficiaries of this scholarship (program) will be able to return to regions to serve in teaching Hinduism, especially in areas where there is a shortage of Hindu religious teachers," she said.
As for the application process, the undergraduate scholarship is being provided through Hindu universities under the guidance of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Meanwhile, the scholarships for master's and doctoral programs are being offered through the Directorate General of Hindu Community Guidance.
The nine types of scholarships include academic achievement scholarships at private Hindu universities, Bidik Misi (Targeted Mission) scholarships at private Hindu universities, master's scholarships for prospective lecturers, and master's scholarships for undergraduate students graduating cum laude from Hindu universities.
They further include doctoral scholarships for lecturers, undergraduate scholarships for non-state servant Hindu religious teachers, postgraduate scholarships for non-state servant Hindu religious teachers, and utama widya pasraman (Hindu education unit) master's scholarships.
Related news: Some 1,117 Hindu inmates granted remission on 2022 Silence Day
Related news: Jokowi urges hindu community to improve quality of human resources
Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
