VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked all Indonesians to be proud of batik, as it is the nation's cultural heritage. "Indonesians should be grateful to have batik, which is not only an extraordinary work of art but is the world's intangible cultural heritage with symbolism, techniques, and culture that is stuck with Indonesia," he said at the "Istana Berbatik" event in the courtyard of the Merdeka Palace here on Sunday.

At the event organized by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry to commemorate National Batik Day, which falls on October 2, the President invited the people to actively preserve and develop batik.

Istana Berbatik is a fashion show that displays a variety of batik in the archipelago, which is full of philosophical meaning and timeless beauty, he said.

Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy and chair of the event committee, Angela Tanoesoedibjo, said that through the fashion show, the public can see that batik has been part of Indonesians' lives.

"In this show, we see how batik has become part of the people's lives from time to time, generation to generation, and part of Indonesian cultural diplomacy," she said.

The fashion show on the 150-meter stage with the background of the Merdeka Palace featured selected batik from regions across the country, created by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) mentored by Bank Indonesia and BRI and by Indonesian fashion designers.

The event had 503 models that included representatives from kingdoms, state agencies, ambassadors, ministers, and public figures.

Some four thousand guests attended the event, which was enlivened by a dance performance and a batik exhibition as support for the nation's craftwork. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim said that the Freedom in Learning and Culture Movement is a form of practicing the noble values of Pancasila.

"We want to encourage students to implement the noble values of Pancasila in daily life through project-based learning," Makarim said in a statement received here on Sunday.

In commemoration of Pancasila Sanctity Day, the minister called for the spirit of gotong royong (cooperation) to be passed on to the nation's next generation.

He said that the ministry transforms the Pancasila values, including gotong royong, into the Freedom in Learning and Culture Movement.

According to him, the five principles of Pancasila must not only be memorized but also applied and used as a guideline in daily human life.

"The changes and breakthroughs that have been made must be increased, and the benefits and impacts that have been caused must be amplified," he said.

The minister said that the Freedom in Learning and Culture Movement is an effort to maintain the unity and solidity of the nation.

He said that within four years, the movement had transformed the entire educational and cultural ecosystem.

"The impact was felt by students, teachers, education staff, artists, cultural players, and education units from early childhood education to universities, as well as various communities throughout the country," he said.

Makarim explained that the Merdeka Curriculum, which has been implemented in more than 13 thousand education units and supported by the National Assessment and Education Report Card programs, has provided flexibility in teaching and learning.

More than 460 thousand students have experienced learning outside their campus thanks to the Freedom in Learning and Campus (MBKM) program, he added.

"The students' freedom in learning and creating is Indonesia's key to leaping into the future," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has targeted Indonesia's sharia economic literacy index to reach 50 percent, an increase from the current position of 23.3 percent.

"I believe that, with Indonesia's enormous potential, these figures can be increased, in fact, Indonesia's sharia economic and financial literacy (index) in the future must be able to reach at least 50 percent," Amin said at the 6th National Conference of the Sharia Economic Community (MES) in Jakarta, Sunday.

The Vice President said, the increased public literacy on sharia economy would be followed by the increased use of sharia economic and financial products. This will result in the growing contribution of the sharia economic and financial sector to the national economy.

According to Amin, the current sharia economic and financial literacy index of 23.3 percent is not an ideal level. The literacy level has also affected the sharia financial market share in Indonesia which stood at only 10.9 percent.

Indonesia has recorded significant progress in sharia economy and finance development with its global ranking continued to increase in the sharia financial sector, Muslim-friendly tourism, and others, Amin remarked.

In addition, he said, Indonesia is also now the third largest shareholder in the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

"With this position, Indonesia's concrete role will become stronger globally, especially through increasing cooperation, providing assistance between member countries, as well as the role of Indonesian human resources in the IsDB," he said.

For national development, Amin explained that the existence of sharia economics and finance will also be able to encourage the achievement of the Golden Indonesia 2045, especially through the pillars of sustainable economic development and equitable development.

So far, the vice president said, the support of sharia economy and finance towards MSMEs and small communities has been proven, among other things, by the growth of various sharia financing, such as through BMT, Islamic boarding school cooperatives, and others.

"Therefore, I often say that the contribution of sharia economics and sharia finance to the national economy must continue to be increased. At least we must focus on targeting two key factors, namely literacy and market share," he said. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Manpower Ministry said the country's human resources quality needs to be increased in order to face artificial intelligence (AI) development. The ministry's Secretary General, Anwar Sanusi, said in his statement received here on Sunday that the rapid development of AI in Indonesia will both provide benefits and challenges in the labor sector.

"For this reason, upskilling and reskilling are necessary to improve human resource skills in facing the development of AI technology," Sanusi remarked virtually at the forum "Preparing the Workforce to Maximize the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence".

He said that AI can increase efficiency and productivity, so Indonesian human resources need to quickly adapt to its development.

On the other hand, he argued, AI can replace some human jobs, which can lead to a reduction in workers in some sectors.

Sanusi added that although AI technology can replace some human jobs, it opens up new opportunities in the technology sector.

"However, AI technology also opens up new opportunities for jobs in the technology sector, such as data analysts, data scientists, and machine learning engineers," he explained.

To that end, he urged companies to train their employees with new skills to compete in the increasingly advanced digital era.

Previously, the Manpower Ministry encouraged college students to master digital technology skills, considering that almost all lines of life have been digitized, including work patterns.

"The digitalization era will increase demand for certain jobs and also decrease other types of work," Sanusi said.

According to him, the demand for job positions that utilize digital technology, such as data and AI analysts and scientists, machine learning engineers, digital marketing specialists, and database architects, is expected to increase.

"While the demand for jobs that are clerical and routine, such as cashiers, secretaries, data entry, and tellers, is expected to decline," he said, (Antaranews)