The KNB scholarship is expected to serve as a catalyst for introducing the quality of Indonesian education while strengthening campus internationalization.
Director of Institutional Affairs at the Ministry, Mukhamad Najib, said higher education is a strategic instrument for attracting foreign students, citing the success of Australia and Malaysia in drawing hundreds of thousands of international students despite government scholarships not being the dominant source of funding.
"Countries such as Australia and Malaysia have been able to attract large numbers of international students independently. Someday, we want the same thing to happen in Indonesia," Najib said during the meeting for the 2026 KNB Scholarship Selection, held online here on Thursday.
He emphasized that the KNB scholarship should be viewed as an initial step to foster foreign students' interest in pursuing higher education in Indonesia. The positive experiences of scholarship recipients are expected to serve as effective promotion for Indonesian universities in their home countries.
Najib stressed that the success of the program lies not in the number of recipients but in the quality of academic and non-academic services provided.
Apart from education, the KNB scholarship will play a strategic role in strengthening Indonesia's diplomatic relations with partner countries.
"KNB is an important part of maintaining diplomacy with partner countries. Please provide the best experience for them so that the messages they bring home are positive messages about Indonesia," Najib said.
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Translator: Sutarmi, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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