"I believe that all of us here agree that the future of information technology will develop and expand faster and more massively. Hence, we need smart and creative digital talents that can collaborate in the spirit of diversity," he stated while opening the 2022 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.
The minister remarked that hosting the 34th edition of IOI has been an honor for Indonesia.
"This is a (matter of) great honor and pride for Indonesia because we have been trusted to be the host for the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)," Makarim stated.
He noted that this year's IOI is organized on August 7-22, 2022, in a hybrid format, with the offline part of the competition taking place in Yogyakarta.
IOI is one of the 14 international-level science Olympiads, the minister remarked, adding that this year's IOI is organized based on the "Digital Energy of Asia" theme.
"Surely, a lot of aspects must be considered to ensure that this event can be organized smoothly. Our assembly at the ISI (Indonesian Institute of Arts) Yogyakarta Hall here also underlines Indonesia's capability and commitment to lead global recovery," he stated.
Indonesia selected as the host of the 34th IOI coincides with its G20 Presidency and will boost the ministry's efforts to encourage G20 member states to work together to bolster educational recovery and transformation, he affirmed.
Producing brilliant and creative digital talents is one of the priorities of the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom of Study) Programme and the National Achievement Centre, the ministry's unit focusing to facilitate the management of national talents, the minister stated.
Makarim also encouraged students to not only achieve academic excellence but connect with other talents to continue to achieve more.
"To date, we have more than 50 million students nationwide ready to compete in their preferred fields," he remarked.
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Translator: Indriani, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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