• Tanoto Scholar lives at school to pursue dreams

    Tanoto Scholar lives at school to pursue dreams

    Rifky Adha may be just 22 years old, but the philosophy and values he lives by are truly beyond his years. Rifky is currently majoring in International Relations at the University of Riau, and is a scholarship recipient under Tanoto Foundation’s TELADAN program. When he was in his third year of university, Rifky decided to take the unusual step of living next to the university’s prayer room, in a bid to save on housing costs.

    “There is nothing wrong with that, and I don’t feel embarrassed or inferior,”

    Rifky

    Growing up, Rifky has always tried to make his parents’ financial lives easier. “I come from a low to middle income family. My father and mother were both factory workers, and together with my younger sister, we all resided in Medan,” he said, without the slightest hint of sadness in his eyes.

    Due to the family’s financial struggles, Rifky was unable to pursue further studies for a year after graduating from high school. During this time, Rifky had to harbour his enthusiasm for further learning at university as well as his disappointment, doing his best to understand his parents’ financial condition. He even took up part-time work in an effort to contribute to the family’s income.

    “It was very difficult to find work without experience. I worked as a janitor at two places – in a restaurant and a karaoke place. I was never ashamed, I was preoccupied with the fact that my salary was so low,” he said.

    However, in the following year, after collecting enough money to pay for university, Rifky was able to register as a student at the University of Riau. “But, after a year of studying away from home, I faced a financial hurdle again. I even almost had to quit university in my second semester,” Rifky said.

    Then, Rifky found out about the Tanoto Foundation scholarship offered through its TELADAN program.

    “Many of my classmates applied, and seeing the intense competition, I was a little hesitant at first. But I decided to try because I didn’t want to sacrifice the education I had painstakingly started at this point,” he said, adding that he did not want to take up part-time work while studying because he knew his academic performance would suffer. Thankfully, by the time he entered his third semester, Rifky had become a Tanoto Foundation scholarship recipient.

    “I instantly felt like a very heavy burden had been lifted from my parents’ as well as my shoulders. In addition to the tuition fees, I also received allowance for school books and other school needs,” Rifky said, adding that he enjoyed developing himself through participating in various organisations including the Tanoto Scholars Association (TSA) at the university.

    When Rifky entered his fifth semester of university, he decided to stop renting the room at the boarding house he had been living in near the university campus. “I really want to continue my education to the Masters level, and I also want to save up so that my younger sister – who is now in high school – does not have to experience the same financial difficulties I experienced,” Rifky said with a smile.

    “Coincidentally, the University of Riau has several rooms located next to the campus’ prayer room for students to live in and I thought why not?

    “Staying in one would mean I could get to class earlier, be more diligent at prayers, and save on accommodation costs in pursuing my dreams,” he said.

    In his new room, Rifky honestly does not feel much difference. Although he is not required to, Rifky willingly helps the university by cleaning the prayer room every morning before classes begin, as well as after sunset. “Nobody makes me feel ashamed because I’m not doing anything to be ashamed of. I am fighting hard to become a successful person who can make my parents proud,” he said.

  • Tanoto Foundation holds TELADAN Leadership Forum to Develop Tanoto Scholars for Industry 4.0

    Tanoto Foundation holds TELADAN Leadership Forum to Develop Tanoto Scholars for Industry 4.0

    Tanoto Foundation recently held the TELADAN Leadership Forum involving Tanoto Scholars as well as the leaders of leading companies in Indonesia, to discuss the skills that the Scholars should have when entering the workforce in the future.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzc5eg4hCsl

    Themed ‘Future Skills for Future Leaders’, the forum saw the attendance of representatives from 40 national and global companies, with the keynote speaker being Mari Elka Pangestu, the Indonesian Minister of Trade from 2004 to 2011.

    “I believe education is the key in life, to equal opportunity and improving lives, and the biggest challenge is changing education to meet ever changing needs,”

    Mari Elka Pangestu.

    The World Economic Forum predicts that in the next four years, 75 million jobs will change and 133 million new jobs will emerge as a result of technological developments. Therefore, it is important to equip human resources with the right skills for Industry 4.0.

    As a philanthropic organization with a focus on education, Tanoto Foundation has taken this into account and is helping to build future leaders of Indonesia with these skills, with its TELADAN program.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BuFnlHrBN8q

    As part of TELADAN, Tanoto Scholars receive a variety of tiered training, beginning from their first year of university to graduation, up to when they enter the workforce.

    TELADAN focuses on building and improving nine traits: self-awareness, drive, integrity, grit, innovation, continuous learning, care for others, empowering others and entrepreneurial spirit.

    “These nine characteristics that Tanoto Scholars are building up are very good. So now it’s a matter of how we scale up this program to the wider community,”

    Mari  Elka Pangestu

    Meanwhile, Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO of Tanoto Foundation, emphasised that the Foundation is fully committed to developing human development in Indonesia.

    “Tanoto Foundation programs touch the formative part of human life, children who are zero years of age to their productive age. We support early childhood development so that they are SIGAP (ready and able to take action), become PINTAR (smart), and go on to become leaders who can be TELADAN (role models) within their communities and surroundings,”

    Satrijo Tanudjojo.

    SIGAP is a Tanoto Foundation program which supports early childhood education and development, while PINTAR supports improvement of the quality of basic education in Indonesia, with a focus on improving teacher quality, school leadership, and community participation.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxui5b_BkiS

    TELADAN is a revamped version of the leadership development program which Tanoto Foundation has been carrying out since 2006. To date, this program has supported more than 7,500 students, in collaboration with nine university partners.

  • Paying it forward with Tanoto Foundation

    Paying it forward with Tanoto Foundation

    Tanoto Scholar Duantra Bergas Ari Kuntar feels that his life has been full of blessings and kindness, and it is time to pass on the same generosity to the community.

    Ari received a Tanoto Foundation scholarship in 2013, while he was studying at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at Bogor Agricultural University.

    He was an active part of the university’s Tanoto Scholars Association (TSA IPB), and so quickly became used to being involved in social projects.

    “At that time, TSA IPB had a Bina Desa project, where we went to Sukadamai Village in Bogor every weekend to guide the children there in improving their learning. We engaged with parents to share how they can motivate their children to study,” recalled Ari.

    Tanoto Scholars are supported by Tanoto Foundation to run goodwill social projects and to pay forward the benefits that they have received to the community. The pay it forward concept is largely emphasised by the founders of Tanoto Foundation, Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, who say that good leaders must have good character.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvs5CoHgWNP

    When he graduated in 2017, Ari wanted to continue contributing to society. He decided to leave his job at a tech start-up, opting instead to spend a year as a teacher educating the Indonesian rural community via the country’s ‘Mengajar’ program.

    “There was a strict selection process required to become a program participant, and I had to compete with more than 6,000 interested parties. “In 2018, only 33 people were selected to become young teachers as part of the program. I was thankfully one of them,” Ari said.

    Under the program, Ari is currently placed in Haratai Village in Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency of South Kalimantan province. The village is a two-hour trip from the nearest city via a steep, winding road.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BtFYT59Fu15

    “The incline of the slope here is about 45 degrees,” Ari said, adding that there is no phone signal in the village and he basically does not use his phone here.

    Yet, Ari finds the whole experience of going directly to the community to be extremely fulfilling.

    “I really enjoy guiding the children and getting parents to care more about their children’s education, and also motivating teachers to be more creative and diligent in the classroom,” he said.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BszxlEFFahH

    The best part of the experience, however, is being able to paying forward what he has received from Tanoto Foundation to people in need.

    Ari said that even though he will head back to the tech industry after his stint at Mengajar ends in May 2019, he hopes to continue being involved in improving the quality of education in Indonesia again in the future.