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Korindo Foundation Grants Scholarships for High-Achieving College Students

By 23 November 2022August 11th, 2023Group News4 min read

Photo: Awardees posed with college officials and Korindo Foundation representatives

Jakarta – About 25 scholars from 5 universities benefit from Korindo Foundation’s scholarship program this year. These campuses are University of Indonesia (UI), National University (UNAS), IPB University, Gadjah Mada University, and Indonesia University of Education (UPI), where the scholars study Korean Language Education, Korean Language and Culture, Korean Language, and Forestry.

Korindo Foundation’s General Secretary Seo Jeongsik presented the grant in a virtual ceremony. In his opening speech, Seo said that the program was made to appreciate students who continued to motivate themselves and excel in their studies, especially in post-pandemic times.

“Congratulations to all awardees. We hope this scholarship inspires you to stay active and make more achievements, whether they’re academic or non-academic,”

The foundation allocates 125 million IDR for the 2022 scholarship program, meaning beneficiaries receive 5 million IDR each. Such funds were handed over in the ceremony, which took place on 21-23 November 2022. The event involved both students and campus officials.

This program has been running annually since 1998, with a total of 830 college students reaping its benefits. Korindo Foundation also provides the same educational assistance for younger children whose parents work at Korindo Group. Around 2,019 high-performing kids have participated in the Korindo Group Scholarship for Employees’ Children program.

One awardee from UI, Eunike Janet Putri, could feel the program’s impact on her academic life. Two years ago, when the pandemic hit, the seventh-semester student was forced to open Korean classes to help her family pay her school fees.

“We were struggling financially, so I had to take a freelance teaching job to fund my studies. With this scholarship, I can focus on academic activities and preparing for my thesis next semester,”

Many UPI students were facing similar issues, said Prof. Dr. Didi Suryadi, Vice-Rector for UPI’s Education and Student Affairs and the university’s representative.

“Half of our 40,000 students come from lower-class families, so this pandemic has put immense pressure on the parents to provide funding. We’ve considered some solutions, like lowering tuition or postponing payment deadlines, but this scholarship will really help our students finish their education.”

Appreciation was also given by the Vice-Dean of UNAS’s Faculty of Language and Literature, Dr. Fairuz, MH, and the Dean for Gadjah Mada University’s Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Dr. Setiadi, MS. “Thank you, Korindo Foundation, for your support and motivation. Also, all of you here must know that to be eligible for scholarship, students have to have the highest CPI (similar to GPA) in their batch and pass the selection process,” Dr. Fairuz said.

Meanwhile, IPB University’s Vice-Rector I, Prof. Dr. Ir. Drajat Martianto said this program could produce a multiplier effect among students. “This scholarship creates a multiplier effect. It improves the environment these kids need to achieve success, which further drives their peers to pursue prestigious grants, like this,”

This outcome would allow scholars to be agents of change and boost the country’s human capital and development quality, Martianto concluded.

The vice-rector also mentioned that this program cemented cultural ties between Indonesia and South Korea. Usmi Ph.D., Head of UI’s Korean Language and Culture Study Program added, “It’s one of the ways to strengthen the relationship between Indonesia and South Korea,”

Learning the culture of another country is pivotal to maintaining tolerance between nations. Tolerance, or the attitude of openness, is one of the things that are worth protecting, especially by younger generations. A way to foster this attitude is by providing a space where students from different cultures can meet and learn from each other.

Korindo Foundation’s scholarship, said Usmi, was also a means to broaden cultural exchange between the two countries and improve the students’ skills. (PR)