Some 93 years ago, Indonesian youth had the spirit of unity as the nation's citizens. Now, it is our turn.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The commemoration of Youth Pledge Day should offer impetus to youngsters to continue to improve their wisdom and character, Character Strengthening Coordinator at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry Rusprita Putri Utami stated.
"Youth Pledge Day is a form of declaration that us, the Indonesian youth, are one motherland, one nation, and one language," she noted at a virtual press conference on Thursday.
"We have Pancasila as the nation's founding ideology, and this should be our collective foundation as a movement driven by Indonesian youth in the past and now," she affirmed.
She noted that the nation harbors one vision for its youth, which is Pancasila Student, who is critical, creative, independent, and pious as well as has good character, is eager to help, and has a global outlook.
"This character education is implemented from primary schools all the way up to higher institutions," she stated.
Utami highlighted several areas of focus for the government to strengthen the character intelligence of Indonesian youth that can be summarized into three critical issues.
These three issues are intolerance, bullying, and sexual violence, and the Ministry is giving special attention to address these problems, she noted.
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"However, this issue cannot be handled by the Ministry alone. It would require collaboration with various parties, including the media and application developers," Utami emphasized.
"We need to adjust ourselves to the media that the younger generation often use in order to deliver this message," she affirmed.
Speaking in connection with the media and social media platform, she noted that the ministry was actively developing campaign content, with focus on Pancasila and the diversity value.
This effort is expected to strengthen the character of Indonesian youth as well as develop the younger generation's competency through online platforms, such as virtual discussions, to nurture critical and creative thinking, she elaborated.
Utami encouraged the Indonesian youth to continue their studies, not just academically but also inculcate the values of tolerance, empathy, and others described within the Pancasila Student vision.
"Some 93 years ago, the Indonesian youth had the spirit of unity as the nation's citizens. Now, it is our turn," she expounded.
Our role is required to offer a real solution, so that our nation can revive from the pandemic, she stated.
"This is the solution, so that we can become a big and strong nation. I hope that the youth and all of us have the spirit to enrich ourselves with beneficial knowledge," she added. (
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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