VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo greeted teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day on Sunday afternoon.

"Today is Teachers’ Day. So, I want to wish all teachers from Sabang to Merauke and from Miangas to Rote Island ‘Happy Teachers’ Day’, " he said after distributing copies of "Social Forestry Decree" at Punti Kayu Natural Tourism Park.

He praised teachers who he saw as figures who have always given inspirations and full dedication.

Their task of knowledge to children is worth appreciation and honor, he said.

"Teachers are inspirers, give us knowledge, lead our children and us all to make us able to boost the quality of resources we have," he said.

President Jokowi said it is indesputable that teachers play a big role in boosting the quality of human resources of the country.

"Once again. I wish you Happy Teachers` Day," he said.

Teachers’ Day is commemorated every year on November 25 in Indonesia. It was declared based on Presidential Decree Number 78, 1994. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope the next round of village fund program will be able to change various village potentials into economic strength.

"Besides infrastructures, the fund could be used, for example, to develop tourism in the villages. Many city residents are looking forward to seeing how the villages look like now," he said at a meeting held to evaluate the policy on development and empowerment of rural community and familiarize the public with priority in the use of village fund 2019 at Palembang Sport and Convention Center on Sunday.

The next round of village fund program should not merely be directed towards constructing infrastructures but also developing human resources and rural potentials, he said.

The village fund should also be used to improve villagers` health by addressing malnutrition and stunting, among others, he said.

"This has to do with our human resources in the future. We must compete with other countries. We must tell the truth that if they are not groomed from now on, we will find it more difficult to compete with other countries which always improve their human resources," he said.

The president went on to say the time has come for village administrations to think of how to turn the villages` potentials into the economic strength.

in this regard, the village fund could be used to build and encourage tourism in the villages, he said. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian government has been able to increase agricultural efficiency by 48 percent over the past four years by encouraging agricultural modernization through agricultural tools and machinery (Alsintan) assistance. To encourage the modernization of agriculture with the assistance of machinery and agricultural equipment have been going on since 2015. Director General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities (PSP) Pending Dadih Permana noted at a press conference that the use of agricultural tools and machinery to encourage agricultural modernization can increase farming efficiency by 35 to 48 percent. The director general remarked that Alsintan was provided in the form of two-wheeled tractors and four-wheeled tractors; water pumps; rice transplanting equipment; choppers; cultivators; excavators; hand sprayers; corn planting tools; and semi-manual corn planting devices. Permana explained that the Ministry of Agriculture encourages modernization in agricultural cultivation as a whole, including land-processing activities, planting, harvesting, and processing agricultural products.  In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Directorate General of Agricultural Infrastructure and Facilities, plans to develop a swamp area of 500 thousand hectares spreading across Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian government will remain focused on accelerating the country`s industrialization as it will bring multiplier effects to national economy.Therefore, the government is resolved to create conducive investment climate,Head of Industrial Research and Development Agency (BPPI) of the Ministry of Industry, Ngakan Timur Antara, said in Jakarta on Sunday (11/25).Ngakan said his agency has taken strategic steps such as economic policy packages, incentives and ease of doing business facilities.The multiple effects of the policy included added values of raw materials, local workers absorption, increase in foreign exchange earning from exports, taxes and excise duties.The efforts could accelerate even distribution and national inclusive and quality economic growth. This leads the government to carry out economic transformation which shifts consumption- to manufacturing-based economy.The Ministry of Industry is consistent with the implementation of the industrial down-streaming in the non-oil/gas processing sector with an emphasis on stock chain approach so that it would be more competitive in the domestic, regional and global levels.Referring to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data, in the third quarter of 2018, the manufacturing industry still has the largest contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP) of 19.66 percent. (ANTARA)