Jambi (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology is developing a Swarnadwipa education center in the Muaro Jambi Temple National Cultural Conservation Area (KCBN) to restore the once oldest education center in Asia.

"To the president (Joko Widodo), we have reported that (we) will start to build a Swarnadipa education center at KCBN Muaro Jambi this year. It is hoped to be completed in 2023 and be opened by 2024," the Ministry's Director General of Culture, Hilmar Farid, stated in Jambi on Thursday.

Farid explained that KCBN Muaro Jambi should be preserved, as it was one of the Indonesian civilizations.

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KCBN Muaro Jambi was once the largest and oldest educational center in Asia, as it has existed since the seventh century, according to Farid.

"The president stated that KCBN Muaro Jambi proved that Indonesia had been engaged with the world for a long time," Farid remarked.

Farid also explained that KCBN Muaro Jambi was proposed to be listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites. With the revitalization and restoration efforts, KCBN Muaro Jambi is expected to soon become an official world heritage site.

"KCBN Muaro Jambi is an icon for Indonesia, so not only Borobudur Temple, but Indonesia also has the Muaro Jambi Temple with great historical values," he stated.


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Meanwhile, Head of the Jambi Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency (BPCB), Agus Widiatmoko, stated that his side will invite students to join field or in-practice learning at KCBN Muaro Jambi.

"We will open a field school at the Muaro Jambi cultural reserve," Widiatmoko stated.

He believes there is lot to learn at KCBN Muaro Jambi, where students can gain insights into past civilizations as well as the flora and fauna in addition to archaeology, architecture, and history.

There is also an old canal where students can study water channel development, he stated.

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Translator: M Hanapi, Kenzu T
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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