VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian Government should encourage a more uniform spread of quality human resources through education, Presidential expert staff member, Billy Mambrasar, said at an online talk show here on Wednesday.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the national Human Development Index (IPM) reached 72.29 in 2021, he noted.

Jakarta contributed the highest IPM of 81.11, while the contribution from Indonesia's eastern regions such as Papua and West Papua was below the national average at 60.62 and 65.26, respectively, he pointed out.

"One of the crucial components to push Indonesia into becoming an advanced nation is the human element. To this end, equality in human development should be encouraged," he affirmed.

Papua was the province with the highest percentage of illiteracy in 2020, he said.

The illiteracy percentage stood at 22.1 percent for the population below 15 years of age, 20.38 percent for the population in the 15–44 age bracket, and 26.95 percent for the population above 45 years of age in the province, he informed.

"The government has made a relatively serious effort. President Jokowi (Joko Widodo) said that this should be accelerated by improving infrastructure, quality, and increasing the number of teachers," Mambrasar said.

The government has also allocated 20 percent of its state budget for the education sector every year, he added.

President Jokowi has urged the education sector to conduct a digital transformation so that Indonesia's outermost regions can still access education digitally despite the limited number of teachers, he said.

Indonesian youth can actually participate in creating more egalitarian education between the western and eastern regions, he remarked.

The younger generation could build learning centers to teach children in the remote regions how to read, write, and calculate, he said.

"This is also supported by the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry with the Kampus Mengajar (Campus Teaching) program where university students spend a semester to one year teaching in remote regions," he remarked. (Antaranews)

The Indonesian Internet Domain Name Registry (PANDI) has said it is continuing to cooperate with cultural activists and other parties for digitizing three indigenous scripts and promoting their use among the public.

The three scripts have received the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) certification, head of the Nusantara scripts certification planning team of PANDI, Heru Nugroho, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese indigenous scripts have received SNI certification and are now ready to be registered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)," he added.

ICANN is a non-profit organization responsible for coordinating and managing names and scripts utilized in the global computing system to ensure the network's secure and stable operation, he informed.

Keyboards and fonts of the three indigenous scripts have received SNI certification, allowing for their broader usage and compatibility with computing systems, the team head added.

Nugroho said he is optimistic that the digitization of traditional scripts would provide a new study medium for schools that mostly teach such scripts using traditional methods, including handwriting and painting.

"If indigenous scripts are available on digital platforms, studying the scripts will be far easier," he explained.

Standardization of keyboards of indigenous scripts will allow mobile device users to send and receive messages in the original scripts, he said.

Indigenous scripts can also be used to enhance digital and banking security, he added.

"We can use indigenous scripts as passwords for our banking system, and if we use indigenous scripts in our defense system, we will give foreign attackers a hard time when they are trying to break into our system," Nugroho remarked.

Despite the current digitization process being rudimentary, Yogyakarta residents have been the most enthusiastic in welcoming it, the team head highlighted.

Completing the digitization of all indigenous scripts is still a long way off, he said while pointing out that China required 20 years to digitize its script which has Chinese characters.

Meanwhile, an official from the Coordinating Ministry of Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Didik Suhardi, said the ministry is currently encouraging the parties involved in the digitization of the three indigenous scripts to continue their efforts and digitize other indigenous scripts.

"The ministry officials have coordinated with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, the National Library, the Language Agency, and the Ministry of Communication and Informatics which regulates the digitization permits and access to devices," Suhardi added. (Antaranews)

The Museum of Nan Baanjuang Traditional House in Bukittinggi city's Kinantan Zoological Park has 600 historical artifacts comprising local ancient cultural objects and relics, a cultural expert has said.

"Some 600 artifacts are divided into eight collections assembled in the Gadang House, which was formerly Bundo Kanduang Museum," Silvia Devi informed during an awareness-raising activity on the use of historic museums at Bung Hatta Palace at Bukittinggi on Wednesday.

The collection includes miniatures of traditional architecture, traditional clothing and home supplies, livelihood tools, art, martial arts, and preserved animals, she said.

According to Devi, the traditional house, which is the best museum in Bukittinggi city, West Sumatra, was built by a Dutch national in 1953.

"Based on the Bukittinggi City Regulation No.5 of 2005, it was built by Modelar Countrolleur, a Dutch national. The building area is 2,798 sq m, with the shape of Gadang Bagonjong Gajah Maharam House with nine rooms," she informed.

She pointed out that the building has platforms on the left and right sides in the shape of rangkiang and made with wood and palm fiber. "In 1956, a statue of Kabau Pedati was added, which was then managed and owned by the Education and Culture Office of Bukittinggi city," she added.

She said the current problems in introducing history through museums and stoking the interest of visitors in learning about culture must be solved together by agencies.

"The information on historical objects and collections such as (their) origin, function, value, and meaning has to be optimized," Devi affirmed.

She also expressed the hope that competent personnel such as conservators, registrars, and exhibition designers will be recruited in addition to the provision of technical training for tour guides.

Moreover, their structuring or organization based on educational background and skills needs to be done, she added.

"In terms of other resources, collections' inventory and registration can be executed, such as by creating a good information system and utilizing facilities and infrastructure that are in accordance with the function and have aesthetic value," she explained.

The history museum socialization activities were organized by the Education and Culture Office of Bukittinggi city, which were joined by many residents who were expected to attract interest in and development of historical education, she said.  (Antaranews)

Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo has urged the governments of three districts -- Tegal, Brebes, and Pemalang -- to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations in a bid to achieve the 70-percent target in two weeks.

"I have contacted three district heads because the vaccination percentage is still low despite them having surpassed 50 percent. We want an average of 70 percent just like what the president has ordered," he noted here, Wednesday.

Pranowo emphasized that the regional governments in those three districts must be able to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations, especially since the number of available vaccines has increased.

"The president has provided many facilities. Now, there is no excuse, as there are plenty of vaccines (available)," he remarked.

The governor stressed that President Joko Widodo's order regarding vaccination coverage must be executed at the earliest. He affirmed that the provincial government of Central Java would help if the governments of those three districts were unable to expedite the vaccinations.

"I think what the president has conveyed must be executed by us. We will assist the three districts if they cannot (accelerate vaccinations)," he affirmed.

Pranowo noted that the three districts were given a target to accelerate their vaccinations for the next two weeks.

"I urge that vaccinations in these two weeks be accelerated. If they cannot do it, we will help the three regions, so that there is a significant increase," he stated.

In a bid to boost immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government had launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, as of December 8, 2021, nearly 143,794,042 citizens have received their first COVID-19 shot, while 100,459,272 have been fully vaccinated against the virus. (Antaranews)