Jayapura, Papua – The Papua Provincial Government continues to strengthen its commitment in improving the quality of human resources through equal access to higher education. One of the real steps taken is to open as many as 1,000 quotas of Mace Scholarships (Smart Students) for Strata 1 (S1) and Strata 2 (S2) students with a selection system that prioritizes the principles of transparency, objectivity, and equality.
Executive (Plt.) The Head of the Papua Provincial Education Office, Marthen Medlama, said that the entire selection process was carried out online in order to give equal opportunities to all students in Papua without special treatment.
“The selection is based on academic achievement and family economic condition. The whole process is done online so that every student has the same opportunity,” said Marthen in his written statement, Thursday (7/9/2026).
The Mace Scholarship Program is not only intended for S1 and S2 students, but also includes scholarships for specialist doctor education. The program is prioritized in specialist areas that are still needed by hospitals in Papua based on the proposal of the Health Office, as an effort to strengthen health services in the region.
In addition, the Papua Provincial Government also provides Strata 3 (S3) scholarships for Papuan private university lecturers. This step is expected to be able to improve the quality of educators as well as strengthen the quality of higher education in Papua.
To ensure that the benefits of the program are felt evenly, the Mace Scholarship quota will be distributed to all districts and cities in Papua Province so that it is not only centralized in Jayapura City. The policy is expected to be able to open wider opportunities for students from various regions, including areas with limited access to education.
On the other hand, the Papua Provincial Government also prepared study completion assistance for final semester students. The distribution of assistance will be verified through the Higher Education Database (PDDikti) to ensure that the recipient meets the requirements and assistance is provided on target.
Through the Mace Scholarship program, the Papua Provincial Government hopes that more young people can continue their higher education, improve their competence, and later contribute to accelerating the development and improving the quality of human resources in Papua.
