Surakarta, July 6, 2026 – Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), through the Directorate of Reputation, Partnership, and International Affairs (DRKUI), hosted the 2026 Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting for the Kemitraan Negara Berkembang (KNB) Scholarship Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek). The meeting was held as part of UMS’s commitment to ensuring the effective implementation of the KNB Scholarship Program while continuously enhancing the quality of services provided to international scholarship recipients.
The meeting was officially opened by Prof. Supriyono, S.T., M.T., Ph.D., Vice Rector V of UMS, who reaffirmed the university’s commitment to supporting Indonesia’s higher education internationalization through the KNB Scholarship Program.
“UMS is committed to providing comprehensive support for KNB awardees, not only in academics but also in character development, cultural adaptation, and student well-being throughout their studies. Through this monitoring and evaluation process, we hope to continuously improve our services and ensure that international students have a meaningful and enriching learning experience at UMS,” said Prof. Supriyono.
The program continued with a presentation by Wijianto, Head of the Hospitality Subdirectorate at DRKUI UMS, who delivered a comprehensive report on the implementation of the 2026 KNB Scholarship Program. The presentation highlighted the academic and non-academic achievements of the awardees, supporting programs provided by the university, challenges encountered during program implementation, and strategic initiatives for continuous improvement.
According to Wijianto, the monitoring and evaluation meeting serves as an important platform for assessing the overall implementation of the program and identifying opportunities to further strengthen student support services.
“This evaluation enables us to review our achievements while identifying areas that require further improvement. Feedback from both Kemdiktisaintek and the KNB awardees will serve as valuable input in refining our services and ensuring that the KNB Scholarship Program continues to provide the best possible learning experience for international students,” he explained.
The monitoring and evaluation activities were conducted through two discussion sessions. The first session involved the UMS KNB management team, consisting of the Directorate of Reputation, Partnership, and International Affairs (DRKUI) as the main program coordinator, Pesantren Mahasiswa (PESMA) as the provider of student accommodation, and the Institute for Course Development and Language Services (LPMB) as the provider of the Indonesian Language Program for Foreign Speakers (BIPA).
During this session, discussions focused on the overall implementation of the KNB Scholarship Program, including the awardees’ academic and non-academic achievements, support services, operational challenges, and strategies for enhancing the quality of services for international students.
The second session was conducted with the KNB scholarship awardees, providing an opportunity for the Ministry’s monitoring team to gather direct feedback on the students’ academic experiences, cultural adaptation, student support services, campus facilities, and suggestions for future program improvements.
In addition to reviewing students’ academic progress, the meeting emphasized the importance of comprehensive support systems that contribute to the overall success of international students. Topics such as cultural adaptation, personal development, student engagement, and academic mentoring were highlighted as essential components of the KNB Scholarship Program.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology expressed its appreciation for UMS’s management of the KNB Scholarship Program. The Ministry acknowledged the strong collaboration among DRKUI, PESMA, and LPMB in delivering integrated support services for international scholarship recipients. UMS’s commitment to providing academic guidance, student welfare services, and a supportive learning environment was recognized as one of the program’s notable strengths.
The Ministry also encouraged UMS to maintain its high standards while continuing to innovate and enhance services for international students. Feedback gathered during the monitoring and evaluation process is expected to further strengthen the implementation of the KNB Scholarship Program and contribute to Indonesia’s higher education internationalization efforts.
As one of Indonesia’s host universities for the KNB Scholarship Program, UMS remains committed to providing an inclusive, high-quality, and globally oriented learning environment. Through continuous evaluation and close collaboration with Kemdiktisaintek, UMS will continue to enhance the quality of its services to support the academic success and personal development of international scholarship recipients throughout their educational journey in Indonesia.
