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The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemenkdikbudristek) stressed the importance of student literacy in utilising technology and artificial intelligence (AI) as critical factors in achieving improvement and competence in the digital era.
“Kemenkdikbudristek has formulated a Merdeka Curriculum that emphasises the development of self-regulation in students. This curriculum is expected to help them learn independently and adapt to unstructured situations,” said Head of Standards, Curriculum, and Education Assessment Agency of Kemenkdikbudristek, Anindito Aditomo, in an online discussion in Jakarta on Monday.
Anindito stated that the availability of a learning curriculum that supports human resource capabilities from an early age in understanding technology and AI could help society face a future full of uncertainty.
In line with this, Kemenkdikbudristek is trying to accommodate students by reintroducing the subject of Informatics into the curriculum, starting from the junior high school level. However, informatics learning in the Merdeka Curriculum is not only about how to use digital devices but also focuses on developing students’ thinking skills.
Other programmes that complement future leaders’ abilities include the Independent Learning Merdeka Campus Programme (MBKM), Certified Internship and Independent Study (MSIB), and Practitioner Teaching Programme.
According to him, the MBKM programme in higher education aims to bridge the gap between education and the workforce. The programme allows students to learn outside their major, participate in internships, and conduct independent studies.
Meanwhile, the MSIB programme is asserted to shorten the waiting time for university graduates to get a job to about three months and receive a salary almost three times higher.
As for the Practitioner Teaching Programme, it will provide a different perspective from market players to students about the skills needed so that they can prepare early, as well as adopting the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) as one of the achievement targets.
“This is important to measure the development of the quality of our human resources in facing the demographic bonus. Kemenkdikbudristek also targets the human capital index to continue to rise to meet long-term development targets,” he confirmed.
Director of Digital Economy Celios Nailul Huda added that society is now accustomed to digital services such as online banking and using AI in contact centres.
He stated that this indicates that society can adapt to and utilise technology wisely. However, data security and responsible internet use should be part of the education curriculum.
According to data from the Ministry of Communication and Information, Indonesia’s digital safety sub-indicator in 2018 was only 39%, compared to Malaysia, which has reached 90-92% and Singapore’s 100%.
“Although Indonesia has adequate infrastructure, there is still a digital divide, especially in rural areas. This is a challenge that must be overcome,” he expressed.
Therefore, he suggested that the government improve the quality of education through curriculum updates to accommodate needs in the digital era, and teachers need to be trained to use and utilise technology in the teaching process.
The government must also actively provide adequate digital infrastructure, such as affordable and quality internet access, and support business actors. The key is in the teachers. If they are appropriately utilised for learning about digital literacy, then our resources and infrastructure will be well-spent. Let’s learn together, especially educators, because the willingness and ability to learn throughout life are the keys to facing AI, and AI is inevitable,” he said.
