"In the last two years, the world, including Indonesia, have been put to the test by the COVID-19 pandemic, with wide-ranging impacts on various aspects of the people's lives, as a nation and state," Soesatyo remarked during the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and a Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, Monday.
Not only health and humanitarian issues but the COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted the dynamics and stability of ideological, political, economic, social, and cultural life. In fact, it also affected the defense and national security sectors.
"All people are impacted by the pandemic," Soesatyo affirmed.
The main impact of the virus, which first surfaced in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, was a weakening of the community's economic resilience. Consequently, incomes dropped drastically and layoffs without prospective job opportunities were also inevitable.
Another impact was the loss of business opportunities due to limited community economic activities, capital, and investment to support the economy of small and medium entrepreneurs.
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"The COVID-19 pandemic also compelled us to adapt to the new normal," Soesatyo remarked.
These new normal habits are apparent from studying and working from home, maintaining physical distance, and getting acclimatized to new ways of maintaining health that also had an impact on cohesiveness or social relations in society.
In the education sector, students are no longer able to attend classes in schools. Despite a distance learning policy, it also impacted the effectiveness as well as teaching and learning processes, Soesatyo stated.
Soesatyo later noted that despite virtual learning having had a positive impact on the ability to adapt to the use of information and technology, the limited infrastructure supporting distance education will reduce the achievement of learning quality and students' graduation.
"This is because we not only measure the level of intelligence but also the students' character building," he affirmed.
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Translator: M Zuldikar, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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