PNS DKI adalah profesi yg unik dan to good to be true.
Bayangkan aja pegawai kecamatan DKI gajinya setara dengan pegawai senior di consulting big 4 (sekitar 20 jutaan), namun dengan jam kerja dan beban kerja yg (amat) jauh berbeda
“Kalau patriot, pulang.” Dalam konteks riset global, cara berpikir seperti ini sangat tidak menguntungkan negara sendiri. Sangat sedikit orang Indonesia yang berhasil mendapatkan posisi akademik permanen di UK. Dari sekitar hanya 30–40 permanent academics Indonesia di UK (hampir tidak ada yang berasal dari jalur LPDP (in fact, saya pribadi tidak mengenal satupun). That is a very sad number for a country this "big".
Hampir tidak mungkin mendapatkan posisi permanen di universitas di UK; apalagi Russell Group univs; tanpa memiliki portfolio postdoctoral yang sangat kuat. Persaingannya terlalu brutal. If you disappear for 2–3 years after your PhD, you are immediately out of the market.
Negara-negara seperti China, India, dan bahkan Iran justru memanfaatkan diaspora akademiknya. Mereka menjadi:
– jembatan hibah riset internasional
– co-supervisor doktoral
– pintu masuk kolaborasi laboratorium
– penghubung industri dan universitas
– agen soft power budaya dan bahasa
Akhirnya mendongkrak kualitas dan ranking universitas mereka.
Nilai hibah riset yang mengalir melalui jaringan ini seringkali jauh melampaui investasi beasiswa ±2 miliar rupiah per orang. Walaupun itu mahal, but in the global research landscape, that is a small number. A UK-based Indonesian academic who wins Newton Fund / ISPF grants with Indonesian collaborators (I know a few) can easily bring back 2X that amount into the country within a year.
Saya sendiri tidak pernah mendapatkan beasiswa pemerintah manapun. Saya harus bekerja paruh waktu untuk menyelesaikan S2 dan S3. But I do feel a certain sadness melihat bagaimana kita belum mampu mendukung orang-orang kita untuk berjaya diluar.
Those who won LPDP scholarships are most likely more intelligent and more competent than I ever was. But many of them never got the chance to become globally competitive scientists. That is the part that makes me sad. We still think in zero-sum terms: as if one person flourishing abroad automatically means the country loses.
A country is strong ONLY when individuals flourish, wherever they are!
Yang perlu kita benahi adalah manajemen beasiswanya: pastikan yang mendapatkan memang benar-benar PANTAS. Sentimen negatif yang begitu kuat ini adalah pertanda adanya kecurigaan bahwa sistemnya tidak sepenuhnya adil. That is what needs to be fixed.
Nobody goes to a football match booing the best players. People root for those who truly deserve to be on the field. Scholarship awardees who genuinely earn it will be supported. They will be celebrated. Dan jika seseorang bisa memenangkan posisi postdoc di universitas bergengsi, dalam sistem yang sangat kompetitif, itu sendiri adalah bukti bahwa dia pantas.
Go on, champ! We’re proud of you.
At Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, more than 750 participants, including hundreds of students from the High School for the Gifted, gathered to reflect on Southeast Asia’s future. The scale of the institution speaks for itself. Of its 110,000 students, half are enrolled in STEM disciplines, signaling Vietnam’s sustained commitment to building technical capacity.
Vietnam’s PISA performance places it above the global average, with only Singapore sharing that position in Southeast Asia. Vietnam’s competitive edge lies in its willingness to learn. This openness to observe, adapt, and absorb best practices has accelerated growth across both education and industry.
STEM education anchors this strategy. Across Southeast Asia, expanding the pipeline of STEM and finance graduates remains critical to converting innovation into economic value and ensuring long-term sustainability.
The urgency becomes clear when considering global trends. Southeast Asia represents 9% of the world’s population but could sequester up to 25% of annual global carbon emissions. Meanwhile, technology companies are rapidly expanding data centers, driving unprecedented demand for credible carbon offsets.
The opportunity is straightforward: demand exists, and natural supply exists. What’s missing is the infrastructure, measurement systems, and financial frameworks needed to connect them. Building this capacity requires exactly what the region is cultivating – STEM expertise, financial sophistication, and institutional readiness.
Vietnam demonstrates how openness and investment can reinforce each other. For the rest of Southeast Asia, the more pressing question lies in its willingness to open up education systems: to learn from the best, adapt proven models, and prepare talent at the scale and sophistication that emerging global demand now requires.
Chasing growth on streets of dreams, one honest step at a time. Definitely a place worth sharing and celebrating the countdown together. ถนนแห่งความฝัน แสงไฟมีชีวิต ที่ที่อยากเคานต์ดาวน์ด้ว กัน✨🫡🙏🏻🥰 @AISSIAMOFFICIAL#SiamSquareCountdown2026#AISSIAM
Being financially comfortable is enough for me. I dont have to be the richest, I just want to always be able to eat what I want , go where I want , pay my bills on time and give my kids a great life