DITMAWALUMNI USU – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) has once again achieved a national-level accomplishment. The SDErrr Team, comprising three students from the USU Faculty of Law, won second place and the Most Outstanding award in the 2026 Role of State and Regional Budgets in Regional Development Competition, organized by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia with support from PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (PT SMI), PT Penjaminan Infrastruktur Indonesia (PT PII), and UNICEF.
The SDErrr Team was led by Salsabila Usmalufthi Diniya (Student ID 230200037), together with Daniel Tonar Simarmata (Student ID 240200494) and Excel Rismansyah Sembiring (Student ID 240200545). All three are students in the Law Study Program, Faculty of Law, USU, under the guidance of faculty advisor Yusrin, S.H., M.H.
The achievement was secured after the team went through a series of competition stages from July 1 to October 22, 2026. Out of 1,352 teams, comprising 4,056 student participants from across Indonesia, the SDErrr Team advanced to the final round in the student category, competing against five other teams from Universitas Airlangga, Politeknik Keuangan Negara STAN, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Indonesia, and UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta.
The SDErrr Team was the only finalist from outside Java in the student category. In the final standings, Universitas Airlangga won first place, Universitas Sumatera Utara won second place, and PKN STAN placed third. For this achievement, the SDErrr Team earned a final score of 543.58 and received a development grant of Rp15,000,000, a trophy, and a certificate of appreciation.
Raising the Issue of Restoring Literacy Spaces in Elementary Schools in Langkat
The SDErrr Team’s success was inseparable from the preparation and research conducted from the early stages of the competition. In the preliminary round held on August 20, 2026, through the Ministry of Finance Learning Center (KLC), the team studied various materials based on the committee’s syllabus, including the Law on Financial Relations between the Central Government and Regional Governments (UU HKPD), transfers to regions covering Revenue Sharing Funds (DBH), General Allocation Funds (DAU), and Special Allocation Funds (DAK), regional taxes and levies, as well as the Regional Budget (APBD) cycle.
Entering the semifinal round, the team prepared a policy brief on governance entitled “Optimizing Physical DAK to Restore Literacy Spaces in Elementary Schools in Langkat Regency.” The work addressed the issue of restoring literacy spaces in elementary schools through the optimization of the Physical Special Allocation Fund (DAK Fisik).
In preparing the policy brief, the team processed data from the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance (DJPK), Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the North Sumatra Provincial Government, and Audit Reports (LHP) from the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK), obtained through an official request submitted to the North Sumatra BPK Representative Office. The team also conducted field observations at four elementary schools in Cempa Village, Hinai District, Langkat Regency, to obtain a direct overview of the conditions examined in the study.
As a result, the SDErrr Team’s policy brief received a score of 92.90, placing third among the 79 teams participating in the semifinal round. This achievement advanced the team to the mini interview stage on October 2, 2026, where the team leader represented the members in an in-depth discussion of the work with the judging panel.
The final round, held on October 20–21, 2026, in Jakarta, consisted of two main stages: policy brief presentation and debate. The presentation was delivered successively by Daniel, Salsabila, and Excel. During the debate session, Salsabila served as Speaker 1, Daniel as Speaker 2, and Excel as Speaker 3.
Preparation for the final round included developing the presentation narrative, compiling a bank of questions and answers, conducting debate practices based on predicted motions, and analyzing the policy briefs of competing teams. Throughout the process, the team received guidance from its faculty advisor.
The final round and award ceremony were held at the Nagara Dana Rakca Hall, Directorate General of Fiscal Balance Building, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, on October 22, 2026.
For the SDErrr Team, the competition was a valuable experience, particularly because they came from a legal studies background and had to compete against higher education institutions with strong expertise in economics and public finance.
The team shared that they initially entered the competition simply to gain experience and assumed that the entire competition would be conducted online. However, advancing to the final round brought them to Jakarta, with accommodation covered by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia. The opportunity also allowed them to meet senior officials of the Ministry of Finance.
The experience strengthened their understanding that state budget management is not solely related to economic aspects but is also closely connected to law and the fulfillment of public rights.
“State budgets are essentially legal products. The right to education only becomes meaningful when the budget is managed properly,” the SDErrr Team said.
The team also encouraged USU students not to be afraid to explore new opportunities, even when competitions are outside their primary fields of study. In their view, different academic backgrounds can provide new perspectives for analyzing public issues.
They also encouraged students to start paying attention to regional development by utilizing public data, such as regional budgets (APBD), transfers to regions, and BPK audit reports, while maintaining data integrity and having the courage to present their ideas.
Through this achievement, the SDErrr Team has demonstrated that students of the USU Faculty of Law can contribute to discussions on public policy and state financial management at the national level. The achievement is expected to inspire other USU students to continue developing their potential, broaden their interdisciplinary perspectives, and bring pride to Universitas Sumatera Utara and North Sumatra at the national level.