Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Information has intensified its efforts to train public information officers (PIPs) in order to ensure the success of the 2024 general elections and achieve high voter turnout.

"Education and training sessions provided in 2023 for the PIPs are designed to teach them how to encourage residents to not abstain and cast their vote on February 14, 2024," said Usman Kansong, the ministry's Director General of Public Information and Communication, on Friday.

PIP is a program aimed at disseminating information to residents in remote areas that are not reached by telecommunications infrastructure.

The program will be crucial for the upcoming elections, as PIPs will not only be responsible for informing people about how to vote but also for encouraging them to vote.

Kansong emphasized that PIPs will also receive education on strategies to debunk political hoaxes.

"PIPs will also be educated to handle hoaxes so that they can educate the people and clarify hoaxes before the election," he said.

Kansong informed that the ministry has already conducted two special training sessions on the 2024 elections for PIPs in West Java and Sumatra Island.

At least two or three more training sessions for PIPs will be organized in other regions to ensure that PIPs, regardless of their assigned area, have the same quality and expertise, he added.

In the first half of 2023, the ministry coordinated with 870 PIPs covering 34 provinces, 412 cities and districts, and 1,146 sub-districts.

Meanwhile, public information has been disseminated by PIPs during the same period to 180,403 residents nationwide.

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Translator: Livia Kristianti, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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