Minister Mu'ti at the launch of the National Numeracy Movement in Jakarta on Tuesday said that a negative attitude toward numeracy hinders children's grasp of mathematical reasoning, leading to Indonesia's below-average scores in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
To counter this, the ministry is promoting the practical benefits of numeracy in daily life, beyond just solving math problems.
The minister emphasized that numeracy skills are crucial for developing logical and computational thinking, which can help students master various scientific fields.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched the National Numeracy Movement to help improve Indonesia's PISA scores.
PISA scores refer to the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
PISA measures the abilities of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science to assess how well they can apply their knowledge to real-life challenges.
The assessment is conducted every three years and has involved over 100 countries since its inception in 2000.
PISA scores help educators and policymakers understand the quality and equity of education systems worldwide.
The government's 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) has set a PISA score target of 409 for reading and 419 for mathematics.
In the 2022 PISA, Indonesia's scores were 366 for mathematics, 383 for science, and 359 for reading.
Minister Mu'ti also called on parents to support their children by creating a fun learning environment at home.
"Learning is not limited to the classroom; we can do it at home too," Minister Mu'ti said, highlighting the importance of parental involvement in developing children's numeracy skills.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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