The Kutai Kartanegara (Kukar) Regency Government is highlighting the disparity in the number of applicants for the 2026 Kukar Idaman Terbaik Scholarship program. While other scholarship categories have experienced a surge in interest that exceeds their quotas, the Health Thematic Scholarship program remains under-applied.
Head of the Welfare Section (Kesra) of the Kukar Regency Secretariat, Fathul Alamin, revealed that out of the 155 total quotas provided for the health sector, only about 70 people have registered. One of the positions with the lowest interest is the general practitioner quota at Parikesit Regional General Hospital (RSUD), which has recorded only five applicants out of the nine available quotas to date.
This is despite the government providing broad access through five study programs at Mulawarman University, including general medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and midwifery. Fathul emphasized that his office has conducted massive socialization efforts down to the neighborhood (RT) and sub-district levels to reach all layers of society.
According to the local government's analysis, the low number of applicants is not caused by a lack of information, but rather a lingering hesitation among students, especially those from outside Tenggarong, to compete in the health field. "We want more local youth to take advantage of this golden opportunity to pursue higher education in the medical field," Fathul said.
Currently, all submitted documents are undergoing administrative verification until July 7, 2026. Once this process is completed, the government will rank candidates based on both academic achievements and non-academic performance. Overall, total applicants across various scholarship categories have reached 5,467 proposals, demonstrating the high enthusiasm of the Kukar community for the government's educational assistance program this year.
