Category: Science & Technology

The Communication and Information Technology Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry are working together to help madrasa students gain digital literacy skills.

“We conduct the National Digital Literacy Movement (GNLD) given we are in the process of digital transformation. We know that the key to (digital transformation) success is by preparing human resources. If not, everyone would just (sit back and watch),” Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan from the Communication and Information Technology Ministry said during a webinar titled ‘Madrasah #MakinCakapDigital’ on Thursday.

In this era, people need to optimize the utilization of digital space, he said. According to the Digital Literacy Survey, people are chatting, uploading photos, and sharing content using digital devices and platforms nowadays, he noted.

“There are so many positive and productive things that can be done (digitally). We want to broaden the Indonesian people’s horizon so they can use technology productively and compete with other countries. If we don’t prepare ourselves in this process, foreigners would take up the chance,” Pangerapan said. Digital literacy is a basic skill for human resource development, he added.

Indonesia is aiming to meet its need for digitally literate human resources by providing digital skills training to 600 thousand citizens every year, he informed.

So far, 3,691,028 people from 34 provinces have participated in the National Digital Literacy Program since it kicked off on May 20 this year, he pointed out.

During Thursday’s webinar, Muhammad Ali Ramdhani from the Religious Affairs Ministry said that the pandemic has forced people to optimize the use of technology in many sectors, including education.

Online learning is being widely used in madrasas, and this has created the need for strengthening students’ digital literacy skills to build a healthy digital culture, he added.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Infrastructure in the new capital city of Indonesia will use advanced technology, said Head of the Human Resources Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) Hary Budiarto.

“Of course, the infrastructure in the new capital will use the latest technology,” Budiarto said, during an online discussion entitled, “R&D and Innovation for Advanced Indonesia” here on Tuesday.

The new capital city of Indonesia will be moved to part of Penajam Paser Utara District and part of Kutai Kartanegara District in East Kalimantan Province.

The capital city would use fiber optics and satellites to become a technologically advanced capital, said Budiarto.

“We expect all systems in the new capital to use the most advanced technology systems, so that everything can be controlled using automatic technology,” he said. The new capital city will be built into a smart city with integrated planning for all systems, such as transportation systems, education and work systems that will use electronic means.

“We prepare all infrastructure based on electronics,” he said.

Budiarto said the ministry plans to use the 5G cellular network in the new capital, as the network has a fairly wide bandwidth with very fast data transmission.

Kalimantan, which will be the location of the new national capital, still has many frequencies that can be used for the 5G cellular network, so there are no frequency constraints in the region.

In addition, a national data center will also be built in the new capital city, so that all data will be integrated.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology has said it is sending 22 thousand university students to teach at 3,593 primary and junior high schools in 491 cities and districts nationwide.

The university students are part of the second batch of the Kampus Mengajar (Campus Teaching) program, which is aimed at school students in rural and remote areas who are struggling to adopt distanced learning systems amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry revealed.

“This is a great opportunity (for the university students) to help students they will teach in their assigned schools,” Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim stated in a press release issued in Jakarta on Saturday.

The minister asked the university students participating in the program to study hard during their eight-day briefing prior to departure to ensure they have sufficient knowledge to teach math, literature, and undertake character-building of their wards.

He also encouraged participants to try new things during their teaching period and to maintain a positive interaction with school teachers and neighbors in their assigned regions.

“Lastly, have fun. I hope this moment stays in your heart forever,” Nadiem remarked. Meanwhile, Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education Paristiyanti Nurwardani called the participants of the Kampus Mengajar program “platinum students”.

“Platinum is the most valuable metal in the world, therefore, you students are the platinum of the young generation for the ministry. Minister Nadiem has trusted you, and please keep in mind to dedicate your toil and integrity for the Kampus Mengajar program,” Nurwardani stated.

She expressed the hope that the 22 thousand participants of the second batch of the Kampus Mengajar program would help boost the creativity of school students.

“Your equation with your pupils could also indicate whether your work is effective or not,” she said.

Once they arrive at their designated region, students are expected to adapt to the different cultures, languages, and other different conditions, as any discomfort that they may experience will encourage them to grow, study, and evolve, Nurwardani remarked.

“If you experience any inconveniences during your teaching period, encourage yourself to surpass them, because once we surpass it, our good character and competence will flow out,” she said.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy for Control and Evaluation at the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) Rima Agristina introduced the Pancasila values in Pancamain, the five traditional Indonesian games, during a seminar for teachers across Indonesia.

“There are the values of Pancasila in Pancamain Indonesia,” she remarked while opening her presentation at the online seminar on ‘Introduction to the Pancamain Indonesia’ on Tuesday.

Pancamain, a medium of learning and actualizing the values of Pancasila, comprises the Panca Gasing (Panca Top), Bola Lima (Five Balls), Papancakan (Sundanese ball game), Balap Jajar (race), and Catur Teuku Umar (Teuku Umar Chess) games.

“In the Panca Gasing game, we will teach the meaning of balance,” Agristina said.

Through spinning the Gasing (top), teachers can explain to students that the balance in rotating objects symbolizes the balanced approach of the Indonesian people towards life, she explained.

Cooperation and mutual respect are two points that maintain the balance of social life in Indonesia, she said.

“When we play Balap Jajar, we will teach equality,” she added.

What is meant by equality are rights and responsibilities that are carried out in a harmonious and balanced manner, she elaborated.

The Bola Lima game, which has pictures of the symbols of the Pancasila principles, is meant to introduce the meaning of those symbols to students, Agristina said. The fourth game, Papancakan, aims to teach the value of deliberation and consensus, she informed.

She likened the process of assembling the pieces in the Papancakan game to conducting deliberations to achieve satisfactory results of “mufakat” or deliberations for consensus.

It is essential to keep the pieces balanced while in the construction process to produce maximum height and satisfy the game participants, she said. This symbolizes the importance of balance in the deliberation process, she added.

“Then, in the Catur Teuku Umar game, we will teach the strategy to unite as a nation, which is the Indonesian nation,” Agristina said.

The five games were selected from 2,600 traditional games recorded in Indonesia, she informed. The BPIP is also planning to promote traditional games through a marketing and creative approach, she added.

She said she hoped that the Pancamain would not just let students know more about Indonesia and the ideological values but, the game also has an economic impact on artisans across Indonesia.

The ‘Introduction to Pancamain Indonesia’ seminar was organized by BPIP and attended by teaching staff from all parts of Indonesia.

The launch of the five traditional games is expected to help teachers instill the values of Pancasila among students in a fun way through direct practice.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said that Indonesian higher educational institutions need to strengthen their position as technological education institutions.

The statement was made by Widodo in his opening address at the 2021 Indonesian Rector Forum, streamed from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, had brought a series of disruptions that adds to earlier disruptions from the 4.0 industrial revolution, where cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, advanced robotics, and virtual reality brought changes in numerous sectors.

Such technological advancements, he noted, have become major disruptions, shifting trade to e-commerce platforms, banking to financial technologies or fintechs and e-payments. Similar disruptions were also seen in the health, legal, and education sectors. For that reason, the President asked for higher education institutions to become ‘edutech’ institutions.

“The most basic (adaptation of) technology is one that utilizes digital advancements. Digital learning is not only used to facilitate teaching activities by internal lecturers to their students. It is also important to facilitate students to learn with anyone, anywhere, about anything,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of scheduling lectures from industry makers and practitioners.

“It is important to further expose students and lecturers to the future of the technology industry,” he said, encouraging higher education institutions to involve and collaborate more with industry makers and practitioners.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The development of tourism villages would help revive the national economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said.

“In addition to the development of priority tourist destinations, we also have the micro-scale sector of tourism villages,” he noted during an online discussion on developing the rural economy here on Thursday.

“I believe that it will become part of the locomotive for Indonesian economy to revive,” he added.

The development of tourism villages, he said, would open up business opportunities as well as jobs for people affected by the pandemic.

Many people lost their jobs and returned home after the pandemic pummeled the Indonesian economy, Uno pointed out. Rural tourism can draw visitors wishing to spend some nights in homestays offered by villagers, enjoy village life, and interact with locals, he further said.

Rural tourist destinations could accommodate health protocols, as they are usually far from crowds, he added.

According to data provided by the ministry, the number of tourism villages has reached 1,352 and is expected to increase further.

“We are creating business opportunities for people, which, at the end, will improve people’s welfare in those villages,” Uno remarked.

The minister also called on stakeholders in the tourism sector to help improve tourism villages as part of adapting to the pandemic.

 

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Ridwan Hassan, met with Qatari Minister of Education and Higher Learning, Mohammed Abdul Wahed Al Hammadi, in Doha on Tuesday to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of education.

At least two thousand Indonesian students are currently enrolled in different schools and universities in Qatar, according to the Qatari Ministry of Education and High Learning.

Most of them are studying in Qatar as their parents are working in the country, the Indonesian Embassy in Qatar said in a press statement released on Wednesday.

Some of them are pursuing higher education in one of the world’s richest countries at their own initiative, it added.

Some Indonesian students have received scholarships from the Qatari government. A total of 11 Indonesians are studying at Ma’had Diniy (senior high schools) on scholarship from the Qatari government. During the meeting with Al Hammadi, the Indonesian ambassador expressed the hope that the Qatari government would provide scholarships to more Indonesian students. He also invited more Qatari students to pursue higher education in Indonesia.

As a rapidly growing nation and a major player in the region, Qatar needs to know more about Indonesia, Hassan said.

At the meeting, Hassan and Al Hammadi also discussed the Indonesian Islamic International University (UIII), which is expected to help the Islamic world spread the message of rahmatan lil alamin (blessing for the whole universe) and return to the grand tradition of Muslims in the field of science and technology.

Al Hammadi expressed keen interest in UIII and voiced the hope that the Qatari government would take concrete steps to help Indonesia promote the university.

“We are waiting for broader cooperation with this university,” he said. (INE)

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has expressed the hope that Cenderawasih University (Uncen) would function as a think tank that works closely with the government to accelerate development in Papua and West Papua.

As a think tank, Uncen’s contribution to development in the two provinces is indispensable, particularly in developing quality human resources, he said during an online meeting with the university senate’s members on Tuesday.

Joining the meeting from his office, Amin appealed to the university senate’s to support the Quick Wins Program for accelerating development in eastern Indonesia.

The Quick Wins Program covers seven strategic initiatives, including Smart Papua, Healthy Papua, Self-Reliant Papua, Connected Papua, Lighting Up Papua, Productive Work Papua, Proud Papua, and Green Papua, he pointed out.

Through the Connected Papua initiative, for instance, regional connectivity in Papua and West Papua could be strengthened to allow local communities greater and easier access to communication and transportation, Amin pointed out.

To strengthen regional connectivity, the government has carried out development programs, such as the Eastern Palapa Ring and the Trans-Papua road, to open new economic areas, he observed.

ANTARA has earlier reported that the Indonesian government has extended a special autonomy package to Papua and West Papua, which has paved the way for a significant volume of funds to flow into the two provinces.

The Papua special autonomy law, which has been in force for nearly two decades, will expire in November this year.

Data from the Finance Ministry indicates that during the implementation of the Papua special autonomy law, the government disbursed Rp138.65 trillion towards Papua and West Papua’s special autonomy funds and additional funding for infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, regional transfer and village funds to the tune of Rp702.3 trillion were distributed by the government to the two provinces between 2002 and 2021, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Bambang Soesatyo has disclosed.

Despite the central government funding, Papua and West Papua are still struggling to improve the quality of their human capital, as reflected by their scores on Indonesia’s 2020 Human Development Index, which have remained under the national average of 71.94.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Papua and West Papua have scored 60.44 and 65.09, respectively, on the 2020 Human Development Index.

BPS data released in February this year has further pegged the poverty rates in Papua and West Papua at 26.8 percent and 21.7 percent, respectively. (INE)

Source: Antara News