"There are 12 universities, but there are actually 50 universities that have already cooperated with us to conduct what is called digital literacy," a ministry official Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan informed here on Thursday.
At the “Education Sector Digital Literacy Kickoff,” he highlighted that the national digital literacy index is currently at 3.54 out of 5.
This means that the national digital literacy index is still in the medium category.
Thus, steps to improve the national digital literacy index are necessary to improve the reading. The ministry is aiming to bring the index reading to 4 by the end of President Joko Widodo's term, he informed.
One of the efforts to realize this is by cooperating with universities to improve people's digital literacy.
Pangerapan deemed that a university is a place where knowledge is developed.
He said he expects that, through the cooperation, students can set an example and teach people about the digital literacy pillars, such as digital ethics, digital security, digital culture, and digital skills.
"In universities, we will also conduct research on how to apply the correct methodology to the people," he added.
For instance, they can try to figure out what modules they should use for certain age demographics, he explained.
Moreover, the effort to improve digital literacy cannot be carried out alone by any single entity. It necessitates collaboration with various stakeholders, including universities, to build accurate digital knowledge among the people, Pangerapan said.
"Thus, we need partners. Now, these are our partners to conduct what is called digital literacy in Indonesia to improve quality so that our people can be actors in this transformation process," he elaborated.
The ministry has entered into collaboration with a number of university rectors to improve digital literacy.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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