Surabaya City Government will add 24,000 quota for resilient youth scholarships

Jakarta – The mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi, said that until now 5,908 students have benefited from the Resilient Youth Scholarship program. Recipients receive support for monthly living expenses as well as UKT funding. “Thank God, God willing, with the 2026 budget, after it is ratified, we will add (Resilient Youth Scholarships) for 24,000 Surabaya children,” Eri said in his statement on Thursday (10/16/2025). Since its launch in 2021, the Surabaya City Government has disbursed IDR 71 billion for the Resilient Youth Scholarship. This program has become a symbol of hope for young people in Surabaya who want to continue their studies despite economic constraints. Scroll to continue content He explained that Surabaya should be a friendly place for young people to grow and develop. Because, he said, it is the young generation that will one day promote the City of Heroes. “Keep learning, working and achieving. Because Surabaya is always here to maintain the spirit of its hardy generation,” he said. In the odd semester period of September 2025, as many as 2,766 students were declared qualified recipients of the Pemuda Tangguh Scholarship. Rigorous verification is carried out so that help is truly targeted and reaches those who need it. He added that the Resilient Youth scholarship is open to all Surabaya residents, but priority is given to poor and pre-poor families. “I hope that those who can afford it, whose parents have high income, will not participate in this scholarship yet. Let’s help our brothers and sisters,” he added. Photo: Surabaya City Government Apart from that, factual verification was carried out following the large number of applicants who listed their parents’ occupation as self-employed. “After verification, it appears that there are those who are not self-employed, and there are self-employed people whose salaries are very high. Therefore, we prioritize those whose parents have low incomes,” he emphasized. From this process, a number of special cases were also discovered that attracted the attention of the Surabaya city government. This includes deaf students at the Open University (UT) as well as applicants who have recently lost their parents. “It is people like this, people with disabilities, that we need to help. This government is here. Meanwhile, we are asking students who live alone to be facilitated to live in RIAS (Arek Surobyo Science House) so that they can live with other colleagues,” he said. Regarding the amount of the scholarship, Eri explained that the assistance is adapted to the local fiscal capacity and the recipient’s needs. “We provide maximum assistance. If the UKT is IDR 10 million, it is impossible for us to give IDR 10 million. So we hope that families who can afford it will not participate in this yet,” he said. For students whose parents have high incomes, they still have the opportunity to receive partial subsidies if the quota remains. “For example, if the UKT is IDR 10 million, we only give IDR 2 million. We don’t cover everything IDR 10 million,” he added. Also, this program targets not only students from public universities (PTN), but also private universities (PTS) that have partnered with the city government. “We also take PTS, we also take PTN. Hopefully more and more people can go to university, so they can change their family’s destiny for the better,” he said. Meanwhile, the head of the Youth Division, Department of Culture, Youth and Sports and Tourism (Disbudporapar) for the City of Surabaya, Eringgo Perkasa, explained that this scholarship is now regulated in Mayoral Regulation (Perwali) Number 45 of 2025 on procedures for providing scholarships. “This regulation aims to ensure the quality and contribution of scholarship recipients’ graduates,” said Eringgo. The Perwali stipulates a maximum scholarship duration of 8 semesters for Bachelor and D4 levels, and 6 semesters for D3. “The scholarship will be expressly withdrawn if the recipient violates the clause, such as getting married or accepting a scholarship from another agency,” he said. Eringgo said that this program not only funds the university but also provides comprehensive support to support students’ needs. “This scholarship is awarded to bright children from poor or pre-poor families and achievers, so the GPA must be at least 3.00. If this is not achieved, we will involve the campus for evaluation,” stressed Eringgo. Currently, the Resilient Youth Scholarship program has partnered with 15 universities, nine of which are in Surabaya and six outside the city. The registration process can also be accessed online via the besmart.surabaya.go.id page. Eringgo said that expanding cooperation with campuses outside Surabaya was a direct intervention of Mayor Eri Cahyadi to help students affected by calamities such as losing parents or being laid off. “We want to ensure that no Surabaya child fails to study due to cost reasons,” he said. Throughout 2025, 5,908 students will receive the Resilient Youth Scholarship. This figure makes Surabaya the only region that awards scholarships twice a year. “This is a source of pride. Only Surabaya can do this and finance them until they graduate,” said Eringgo. In the future, the Surabaya City Government will expand the scope of the program. In 2026, the scholarship quota is aimed at increasing to 24,000 students. This expansion will involve more private universities so that more Surabaya residents have the opportunity to pursue higher education. “So, in 2026, the Surabaya City Government will provide a scholarship quota for 24,000 students, both for PTN and PTS,” he said. Photo: Surabaya City Government One of the students who benefited from this scholarship is Safira Hasna from the Arabic Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Adab and Humanities, UIN Sunan Ampel (UINSA) Surabaya, who has a story of extraordinary struggle because her parents abandoned her. Safira became an orphan when she was in the 4th grade of primary school. Not long after, the test of life came again. When he was in the 3rd grade of high school, his father passed away. The world seemed to be crashing down for little Safira. He actually became an orphan when he was barely a teenager. As soon as she graduated from junior high school, Safira immediately entered the Orphanage Foundation with orphan status. However, being an orphan does not mean living a life without a future. With a passion for learning and strong determination, Safira proves that limitations cannot hinder dreams. Now his fighting spirit has paid off. Safira was listed as one of the recipients of the Resilient Youth Scholarship from the Surabaya City Government (Pemkot). “Alhamdulillah, with this scholarship we helped pay the UKT (single class fee) for the semester, helped to buy the tools or books needed for the university,” he said. For Safira, the scholarship is not just financial assistance. Behind the numbers and nominal values ​​is the meaning of trust and the opportunity to pursue your dreams and aspirations. “Hopefully, I can use this opportunity to always learn and realize my dreams and contribute to the city of Surabaya,” said Safira. (anl/ega)