VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Geneva: Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Manpower, Afriansyah Noor, has stressed the importance of international collaboration to upskill the workforce in the ASEAN region. Afriansyah expressed his appreciation to the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources while attending the Networking Sharing Session for ASEAN High-Tea organised by the Malaysian Ministry of Human Resources, Geneva, Tuesday (11/6). "Amid global pressures, investment in human resources is crucial," said Deputy Minister of Manpower, Afriansyah.

Afriansyah emphasised that the government should prioritise developing workers' skills, especially for vulnerable groups such as youth, women, people with disabilities, low-income workers, and those working in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "By focusing on skills upgrading, we can create a resilient workforce that is ready to face the challenges of the future," Afriansyah said.

The Networking Sharing Session for ASEAN High-Tea was a forum for ASEAN countries to exchange insights on important initiatives such as the Training Skills Fund and the ASEAN Year of Skills 2025. Afriansyah appreciated Malaysia's efforts to promote the Training Skills Fund as a model that can be adopted by other countries in the region. "This initiative shows how important coordinated efforts are to address the skills gap and promote lifelong learning," Afriansyah said.

Malaysia's plan to hold an ASEAN Training Fund Summit also received a positive response from Afriansyah. According to him, the summit will be an opportunity to address issues of access to quality education, skills mismatch, and labour mobility barriers in ASEAN. "By involving experts and stakeholders, we can seek innovative solutions and mobilise the necessary resources for workforce development," Afriansyah explained.

Afriansyah also highlighted the importance of Malaysia's National Human Capital Conference & Exhibition 2024 (NHCCE 2024), which will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of work. "We must prepare the ASEAN workforce for the changes brought about by AI by providing relevant skills," Afriansyah said.

NHCCE 2024 will be a forum to share best practices in reskilling and upskilling, as well as encourage international collaboration in the development of AI solutions. Furthermore, Afriansyah stressed the importance of partnerships with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to address global labour challenges. "ASEAN can leverage on the ILO's expertise in labour market policies to promote decent work and lifelong learning," Afriansyah added.

The collaboration is expected to enhance ASEAN's capacity to address the skills gap and economic transformation. Afriansyah also emphasised the need for more massive access to affordable education, vocational training and quality labour market information. "We must work together to ensure that workers have the skills needed, including digital literacy, green technology, and technical skills," he said.

This collaboration is important to protect regional and global labour mobility and ensure adaptation to changing economic demands. Concluding his speech, Deputy Minister Afriansyah expressed Indonesia's support for NHCCE 2024 and looked forward to participating in the event. He also thanked Malaysia for organising this sharing session and emphasised the importance of this forum in strengthening cooperation on competitive HR development in ASEAN. "Let us together invest in our most valuable asset: our people. By working together and sharing our experiences, we can build a brighter future for all ASEAN citizens," Afriansyah concluded.

Source: Indonesian Ministry of Manpower

Government officials and leaders of a number of universities in Indonesia, as well as Australian representatives from Central Queensland University and Western Sydney University met in Surabaya to improve university governance and management, (Photo : Australian Embassy) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : This week, government officials and leaders from Indonesian universities based in East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Kalimantan, Maluku and North Sulawesi, as well as Australian representatives from Central Queensland University and Western Sydney University met in Surabaya to enhance university governance and management.

The meeting, initiated by the Australian Department of Education, underscores the strong education collaboration between Indonesia and Australia and continues the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the nations.

“Education has always been a cornerstone of our relationship with Indonesia. This forum not only highlights our commitment to foster greater collaboration between our universities but also reaffirms our vision of supporting the advancement of higher education in Indonesia,” said Anthea Griffin, Australian Consul-General in Surabaya at the launch of the event.

“The forum provided a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences on best practices in university management, and the successful governance models that could be adapted to enhance the quality and competitiveness of universities in Indonesia,” added Han Xiao Zhang, the Australian Embassy’s Counsellor Education and Research.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (13/06/24), this initiative builds on a long history of people-to-people and institutional linkages between Indonesia and Australia and reflects the shared commitment of both nations to deepen our education cooperation//VOI

Perpusnas on a hearing session with Commission X of Indonesia House of Representative for budget issue (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Commission X of the House of Representative of Indonesia have agreed the indikative limit and budget proposal raise of the state budgte plan (RAPBN) year 2025 of National Library to 721 billion Rupiah. 

Apart from that, Commission X of the House of Representative of Indonesia approved the proposal to increase the National Library's budget ceiling in IDR 375 billion. 

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (13/06/24), in the hearing of Commission X of the DPR RI and National Library with the sole agenda of discussing the Ministry/Agency Budget Work Plan (RKA K/L) and Government Work Plan (RKP K/L), Chairman of Commission X DPR RI Syaiful Huda stated that this proposal was in response to orders Laws and other regulatory provisions.

"Commission X supports the indicative ceiling proposal and the additional budget proposal in the 2025 FY RAPBN. We will submit this proposal to the DPR RI Budget Body," he said in Jakarta, on Thursday (13/6/2024).

The legislator from the National Awakening Party faction said that the commitment related to the literacy movement at the National Library needs to continue to be encouraged at the level of productive implementation. This is done by utilizing various facilities, especially those that follow the trends of the millennial generation and generation Z.

"This is very important because our reading level is still low compared to the target that has been set. "Children's reading culture is declining with the presence of audio and visual media," he said.

It was explained that this must be homework that the National Library pays attention to through various budget locations and proposed activities. "We hope that in the future, this commitment to literacy will continue to be the main focus," he continued.

Meanwhile, NasDem Party faction legislator Ratih Megasari Singkarru expressed his support for the proposed additional budget. According to him, improving literacy culture and library services is crucial for the intellectual and social progress of Indonesian society.

"We from the NasDem Party Fraction certainly support the proposed additional budget for the National Library with the main target of increasing literacy culture and library services. "Increasing access and equal availability of books in various regions of Indonesia is the foundation for our intellectual and social progress," he said.

Regarding the proposed additional budget, he called this a strategic step and showed the National Library's strong commitment.

“The budget of IDR 375 billion for 2025 is a strategic step. "If approved, this may be the first time a library has a budget of up to IDR 1 trillion, after previously only around IDR 600 billion to 700 billion," he explained.

PDI Perjuangan Fraction legislator Putra Nababan fully supports the proposal to increase the National Library's budget for 2025. He acknowledged that the social inclusion-based library transformation program (TPBIS) that has been implemented by National Library has really helped local communities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is the most real program and must be focused on, even though the budget is limited. "The people at the bottom don't care about policies, they talk about our support for their lives," he explained.

Responding to this, Acting Director of National Library E. Aminudin Aziz appreciated the support provided by the leadership and members of Commission X of the DPR RI.

"Thank you to the leadership and all members who have responded very positively to the proposed 2024 program and the additional budget for FY 2025," he said.

He explained that regarding budget allocations for programs that had not received optimal budgets, his party had reorganized them. He added that the main focus is a program to improve reading culture and literacy competency//VOI

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, when received the title of Honorary Professor from Tsinghua University (Photo : Kemenkomarves) - 

VOInews, Beijing : Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, officially received the title of Honorary Professor from Tsinghua University in a ceremony held today in Beijing, China (12-6-2024).

In his speech, Coordinating Minister Luhut recalled his life journey and the values ​​of hard work inherited from his father, a former AKAP bus driver in Sibualbuali.

"It was his hard work and never give up attitude that changed the course of his life, making him the first person in Indonesia to study at Cornell University. This attitude is also what I emulate to become a professional, wherever I work," said Coordinating Minister Luhut.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (13/06/24), Tsinghua University mandated this title to Coordinating Minister Luhut because of his significant contribution in strengthening friendly relations between Indonesia and China, which is considered to have brought benefits to both countries and the region.

Coordinating Minister Luhut said that he immediately reported the news regarding the awarding of this title to President Joko Widodo.

"The President wants me to receive it. I also asked Tsinghua why they mandated this title. They said that I contributed to the establishment of very close friendly relations between Indonesia and China," explained Coordinating Minister Luhut.

Coordinating Minister Luhut added that so far he had received several offers of similar awards from other universities, but had always refused.

"How is that possible? Graduates of the Military Academy who only understand the words ready and carry out, never liked studying algebra and mathematics, received an honorable degree from a branch of science. Moreover, this degree came from the number 1 campus in Asia and the 12th best in the world," he added. .

Coordinating Minister Luhut expressed his gratitude to the Chinese Government for the strong sense of friendship and mutual trust that has existed over the years. He hopes that the friendship between the two countries will continue to exist and become stronger.

"I will dedicate this mandate as a commitment to continue serving the nation and state, in improving the quality of Indonesian education which is superior and competitive in order to prepare for the Golden Indonesia era 2045," concluded Coordinating Minister Luhut//VOI