The government in Indonesia continues to promote digital transformation within the realm of governance. This effort aims to streamline bureaucracy and enhance the quality of public services. In pursuit of these goals, various initiatives and programmes have been launched to ensure that digital transformation is effectively and evenly implemented across all layers of government.
Digital transformation is expected to accelerate equitable development throughout Indonesia in the long term. The government is collaborating with various institutions to ensure the success of these digital transformation initiatives. These collaborations cover several aspects, from information technology infrastructure and human resource capacity development to digital service innovations that can meet the community’s needs more effectively and efficiently.
In light of this, the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) has identified the importance of human resource development as a key to achieving effective and efficient governance. To strengthen the capacity and competence of the Civil Service (ASN), the Ministry of PANRB continues to seek innovative ways to improve the quality of public services through the professional development of ASN. Collaboration with renowned educational institutions such as Padjadjaran University (Unpad) is one of the main strategies to achieve this goal.
Unpad is one of Indonesia’s leading universities, possesses a wealth of intellectual resources and experience in research and human resource development. This collaboration primarily focuses on developing training content that will be integrated into the Smart ASN e-learning application. Unpad EdEx is designed to be a self-learning platform for ASNs throughout Indonesia.
Unpad EdEx is a platform that offers online and offline learning in human capital management, governance, and more. “This is in line with the President’s directive to coordinate the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE) and encourage impactful bureaucracy, making the programme relevant to the digital leadership being developed by the Indonesian government,” said Minister of PANRB Abdullah Azwar Anas.
The Digital Service Platform for Civil Apparatus will make various ASN management services interoperable, making ASN management more effective and efficient. These services include planning, procurement, performance culture, supervision, performance, talent, competencies, awards, and termination of ASN. In developing ASN employee competencies, Unpad and the Ministry of PANRB will collaborate on the Customer-First Mindset training programme.
In explaining this collaboration, the Rector of Unpad, Prof Dr Rina Indiastuti, emphasised that one of its main goals is to fulfil the university’s mission to provide high-quality higher education for the community. With this collaboration, Unpad hopes to significantly improve the competence and quality of public services, especially for ASN and other professionals.
According to Prof Rina, the hope is that this collaboration will not only impact education in enlightening the nation but also enable various groups, such as ASN and other professionals, to update their knowledge through lifelong learning continually.
As a follow-up to this collaboration, the Ministry of PANRB will send 55 high-ranking officials and middle-level leaders to participate in the Customer-First Mindset training programme. This programme will equip them with the understanding and skills to change the public service mindset from bureaucracy-centred to customer satisfaction-oriented. Thus, these officials can become effective change agents in improving the quality of public services in Indonesia through a more proactive and community needs-oriented approach.
The learning and development programme offered by Unpad MWA in this collaboration serves as a concrete example of how higher education institutions can actively support the digital transformation of government and improve the quality of human resources in the public sector. By continuously fostering productive collaborations between higher education institutions, the government, and the private sector, Indonesia is expected to face digitalisation challenges better and leverage information technology’s potential for sustainable and inclusive development.
The chairperson of the Unpad MWA, Arief Yahya, then explained the learning in Unpad EdEx, which offers a hybrid method in line with the challenges of the times that demand flexibility and digital-based education. “Based on research, the education industry is the second most disrupted industry, so we have no choice but to undergo digital transformation,” he explained.
Since 2021, the Ministry of PANRB and Unpad initiated their partnership with a memorandum of understanding, leading to additional collaborative agreements in 2022 and 2023. Both parties have extended their Memorandum of Understanding to continue their cooperation through 2026.
