Deli Serdang, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - Director of Cultural Development and Utilization at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Irini Dewi Wanti, stated that collaboration is highly needed to preserve various cultures, even those at the village level.

"If we want to advance cultures, we need collaboration," Wanti stated in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Thursday.

One of the collaborations carried out by the ministry for the purpose of advancing culture at the village level is partnering with the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration.

The collaboration is aimed at expanding the positive impacts of the program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, namely the Village Culture Advancement program that has been implemented since 2021.

The Village Culture Advancement is aimed at making regional governments, village governments, and communities have the ability to prepare culture-based village development plans that are formulated using a bottom-up policy approach.

Some 230 villages have been selected to participate in the program and have undergone three stages, namely identifying the village cultural potential in 2021, developing the village cultural potential in 2022, and utilizing the village cultural potential in 2023.

Each of those villages has a facilitator tasked with accompanying the community in the cultural advancement efforts at the village level.

The 230 villages become the pilot projects that, under collaboration with the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, are expected to have a positive impact on other villages in Indonesia.

Synergy is also conducted by utilizing the 36 thousand professional assistants (TPP) of the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, so that the Village Culture Advancement program can also be enjoyed by other villages.

Expert Staff of the Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Bito Wikantosa, explained that culture is an important capital in developing villages because the potential that exists can encourage the improvement of welfare of local communities.

"Advancing cultures in villages is a must. To this end, cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology is a strategic step in implementing the Village Law," he affirmed.


Related news: Ministry sets up media center to improve cultural content management
Related news: Women in parliament should pioneer cultural advancement: Legislator
Related news: Endowment fund proposed to develop Lampung's local cultural arts: govt


Translator: Astrid Faidlatul, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2023