VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The use of technology in education has become a necessity that must be done in the midst of global flows. So said the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim in New York, United States, Sunday (18/9/2022).

Mendikbudristek appeared as a speaker at the 'Transforming Education Summit' forum at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN). He was lined up to talk about the role of technology in education.

"Using technology in education is not an option but a necessity for Indonesia," he said. This is because of the variety of schools, demographics, stakeholders, and so on," said Nadiem at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), New York City, United States (US), Sunday (18/9/2022).

It is known, in April 2020, around 96 percent of schools in Indonesia were closed due to the pandemic. This has resulted in a learning crisis and a disparity in access to technology that is becoming more evident.

"The Indonesian government is rapidly changing its approach to technology," said Nadiem. According to him, technology is often only thought of after a program is launched and overrides the convenience for stakeholders to use it.

"Now on the other hand, technology is being developed seriously along with planning a policy," said the Minister of Education and Technology. In addition, he continued, technology also prioritizes the usefulness and ease of access for its users.

Nadiem explained that various technology platforms are now used by millions of teachers, academics, education partners, and MSMEs. For example, the Merdeka Mengajar platform, Education Report Card, Merdeka Campus, Kedaireka, studi.id, Arkas, TanyaBOS, and SIPLah.

According to the Minister of Education and Technology, the Merdeka Mengajar platform has been used by 1.6 million teachers since seven months of its launch. "The platform provides 55 thousand learning content for teachers," he said.

Nadiem also took the example of the Education Report Card platform which has been used by around 141 thousand schools and 505 local governments. "Local governments now have access to complete data that helps determine the direction of education policies and budgets effectively," he said.

In addition to speaking at the UN Headquarters, the Minister of Education and Technology is also a guest lecturer at New York University. There, Nadiem took the time to meet with students from Indonesia. (RRI)