DARMASISWA is managed by the Ministry of Education and Culture The Government of The Republic of Indonesia. It is a scholarship program which is participated by foreign students from countries which Indonesia has friendly relations. The students have opportunity to study Indonesian language, arts, music, The main purpose of DARMASISWA program is to arouse and foster interest in the language and culture of Indonesia among citizens of friendly countries. It has also been designed to reciprocate scholarship programs provided by other countries for Indonesian citizens and to provide stronger cultural links between these nations. The training on Bahasa Indonesia is supposed to provide opportunity for the participants in order to facilitate their studies and to understand the culture of Indonesia. The aim of the Darmasiswa Program is to disseminate the Indonesian language and culture to other countries. The program, which offers scholarships to students all over the world, serves as a form of cultural diplomacy.
University of Pakuan’s Darmasiswa Program is a one-year non-degree program, which is initiated and managed by the Bureau of Planning and International Cooperation of the Ministry of National Education for international students to study Indonesian language and traditional music and dance. The activities are carried out at the University, both on and off campus. Generally, within a one year study period, students are expected to study: (1) Indonesian language, (2) Indonesian culture, (3) the art of making batik, (4) Indonesian and Sundanese traditional music and dance, and (5) other elective subjects, which students can freely choose, such as Sundanese language, Indonesian geography and history, and literature, among others
Darmasiswa participants are expected topromote Indonesia in their respective countries, and a variety of activities are offered to assist them in realizing this goal. To broaden and enhance their skills in Indonesian language, Darmasiswa participants take part in some regular student activities. They also participate in the graduation ceremony, performing gamelan. To be more knowledgeable in Indonesian culture, they attend cultural events such as traditional wedding party, wooden puppet show, and serentaun, to name a few. They may also visit some tourist landmarks and destinations in West Java.