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Indonesian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna, Darmansjah Djumala, representing Bapeten, and USNRC chairman Christopher T Hanson signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on extending cooperation to exchange technical information on nuclear safety and radiation protection in Vienna on Thursday. (ANTARA/HO-Humas Bapeten) - 

The Indonesian Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) have extended cooperation to exchange technical information on nuclear safety and radiation protection.

“The cooperation is aimed at improving infrastructures, particularly to increase the capability of human resources to regulate the use of nuclear energy as well as to address the latest challenge facing Bapeten,” Bapeten chief Jazi Eko Istiyanto said in a written statement released on Friday.

Indonesian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna Darmansjah Djumala, representing Bapeten, and USNRC Chairman Christopher T Hanson signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to that effect on Thursday, he informed.

The cooperation is expected to enable Bapeten to increase its role as a professional and competent regulatory body, Istiyanto said.

The areas of the cooperation cover exchange of technical information, joint research on nuclear safety and radiation protection, regulatory review and study, and capacity building, he added.

Istiyanto said the existing cooperation between Bapeten and USNRC has benefited Bapeten to develop supervisory capacity through the exchange of information and experience.

"As a matter of fact, USNRC’s regulatory activities have served as a reference for many regulatory bodies in the world. Of course, the cooperation will push Bapeten to strengthen its regulatory infrastructure,” he said.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the 65th General Assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held in Vienna, Austria, on September 23, 2021, and will be valid for five years, he informed//ANT

Archives: President Joko Widodo (left) and other officials review the construction progress of the Papua Bangkit Stadium (now Lukas Enembe Stadium), the main venue for the PON XX National Games. (ANTARA PHOTO/Akbar Nugroho Gumay) - 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will officially launch the opening ceremony of the PON XX National Games at the Lukas Enembe Stadium, Jayapura district on October 2, 2021, Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali has confirmed.

"The National Games committee has coordinated with the National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI), the Youth and Sports Ministry, and other relevant parties to ensure President Jokowi's attendance to officially open the PON Games," Amali said at a virtual press conference originating from Jakarta on Friday.

Strict health protocols would be implemented throughout the opening ceremony, particularly during the athletes' defile and athletes' oath, he added.

He said the athletes' defile would not be as lively as in the previous games due to physical distancing and COVID-19 prevention measures.

Regarding spectator attendance, the committee has set maximum attendance at the match venues at 25 percent of the total venue capacity, with the percentage including the athletes and other officials, the minister informed.

Only fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to enter match venues, he confirmed.

"We have also conceived detailed health protocol arrangements specifically for popular sports such as football, volley, basketballs, and badminton that may attract wide public interest to attend the match. We will manage the public spectators so the maximum capacity would not be exceeded," Amali said.

In view of the public interest in the PON XX National Games, the committee earlier hoped to open match venues to public spectators, but the low vaccine coverage in the four Papuan host regions forced the committee to reconsider the plan and set restrictions on spectator attendance in place, he added.

The PON XX National Games are scheduled to take place from October 2-15, 2021, and the XVI National Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held from November 2-15, 2021. The PON will be hosted by Jayapura city, and Jayapura, Mimika, and Merauke districts//ANT

Archive - People take their children to get immunized at integrated health service posts (Posyandu) in Banda Aceh City, Aceh Province, Thursday, July 8, 2021. Posyandu provides health services for mothers and children and nutritional counseling to prevent stunting cases. (ANTARA PHOTO/ Irwansyah Putra/foc/KT) - 

The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) has launched the Student Program for Stunting Care to encourage students to support efforts to reduce cases of stunting.

Stunting is chronic malnutrition that interferes with the growth of children, thereby causing their bodies to grow shorter than others of their age.

"Stunting is a problem that creates a disruption and obstacle to the realization of Golden Indonesia 2045," BKKBN Head Hasto Wardoyo stated at the launch of "Penting," a program for college students for tackling child stunting, on the BKKBN Official YouTube channel here on Friday.

Wardoyo expounded that stunting can occur if in the first thousand days of an infant's life, it experiences poor health or nonoptimal nutritional situation, so it fails to grow and develop fully, thereby increasing its susceptibility to diseases.

The BKKBN head believes that the problem of stunting will affect the quality of human resources in future, so the government is attempting to prevent and handle stunting.

"Unfortunately, the understanding of (childhood) stunting is still low," Wardoyo remarked.

According to the BKKBN head, the program aims to support endeavors to improve the community's understanding of meeting the nutritional needs and the prevention and care of stunting.

Wardoyo expounded that students involved in the program are expected to convey information about the children's nutritional needs and stunting prevention to the community.

Coordinating Deputy for Health Quality Improvement and Demographic Development of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture Agus Suprapto stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused the poverty rates to rise.

He noted that the increasing poverty rates had thrown new challenges in dealing with nutritional problems in children.

"We must continue to fight hard to overcome TB (tuberculosis) and stunting. We must not give up during the pandemic. We must work together," he stressed.

According to Suprapto, the students can support the prevention and handling of stunting in areas where cases of stunting are still high, such as the provinces of West Java, East Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

Director General of Learning and Student Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Aris Junaidi, stated that the Student's Stunting Care Program is implemented through the thematic lectures of real work activities, which are regularly held in the Kampus Merdeka Program.

"This program is in line with the essence of the Kampus Merdeka Program (freedom in learning), which is driven by students, a form of universities' Tri Dharma (responsibilities) in providing solutions to problems existing in the community," he remarked//ANT

People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Lestari Moerdijat. ANTARA/HO-personal documentation - 

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Deputy Speaker Lestari Moerdijat has urged the government to thoroughly evaluate the face-to-face mode of learning that led to the surfacing of COVID-19 transmission clusters.

Careful preparations for offline learning are necessary to prevent the emergence of new clusters when that mode of learning was resumed, according to Moerdijat.

“A thorough evaluation should be immediately conducted on face-to-face learning leading to the emergence of COVID-19 clusters. The security factor for all students and teachers must be prioritized during face-to-face learning,” the MPR deputy speaker outlined in a press statement issued here on Friday.

Moerdijat made the statement after the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry recorded of the total 46,500 schools conducting direct learning, 2.8 percent, or 1,296 schools, had reported COVID-19 clusters as of September 20, 2021.

Hence, a systematic evaluation pertaining to the new clusters should be conducted to address the problems being faced during face-to-face learning amid the pandemic, according to the deputy speaker.

“Face-to-face learning is expected to halt learning loss among students. However, do not compel to conduct direct learning if schools in some regions have not prepared yet, as it will instead threaten the safety of both students and teachers,” she expounded.

The appearance of thousands of clusters prompted by direct learning across the regions were likely caused by educational institutions that have not been ready yet in conducting this method of learning, she stated.

Moerdijat expressed regret over the surfacing of new COVID-19 clusters that resulted in students and teachers contracting the virus.

She expressed optimism that the government would immediately apply preventive measures, followed by massive testing and tracing to curb the spread of the virus more widely.

“Educational institutions should prepare a system that can ensure that students and teachers are in good health and are virus-free before participating in the direct learning process. In addition, the requirement of getting vaccinated should be fulfilled by them,” she emphasized.

Moerdijat, who also serves as the House of Representatives' Commission X member, added that amid the pandemic, the public should adapt to new norms in conducting activities by fulfilling the requirements stipulated by stakeholders.

The adherence of all public elements to several regulations stipulated must be improved, so that they can conduct their activities and coexist with COVID-19.

“Face-to-face learning during the pandemic is a challenge for all children of the nation in implementing the national values, such as mutual cooperation, unity, sacrifice, and love for the country inherited by the founding fathers,” she remarked.

Hence, without strong commitment of all elements of society in obeying the stipulated regulations, the offline learning process amid the pandemic would be far from successful//ANT