According to the 2021 Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry Report, Indonesia faces a literacy emergency. The Indonesian Language Development Institute also concluded that Indonesia faces a literacy crisis. Indonesia’s literacy level is at a low level.

Literacy is not just about reading and writing. In the past, literacy only covered the ability to read and write. Literacy is evolving with its meaning and interpretation changing. We in Indonesia are familiar with ‘Calistung’ (reading, writing, computing and counting).

But along with the digital technology development, literacy expanded to nine types: reading, writing, computing, numeric, science, digital, finance, culture, and citizenry.

“Literacy is no longer just about the ability to read but also to absorb information, comprehend the truth of information, and produce new information with digital technology,” said Ivan Lanin in the latest Tanoto Foundation’s Inspiring Talk, which Ivy Batuta hosted.

Ivan Razela Lanin is an Internet expert and He is an activist who campaigns to use a standard Indonesian language. He graduated from Information Technology at the University of Indonesia and obtained his master’s degree in IT from the Institute of Technology of Bandung.

He then worked as an IT programmer for ten years and became a management consultant before becoming an Indonesian language teacher.

“I found out that nearly all letters and reports have language mistakes,” said the IT expert, who then became a teacher because he wanted to improve such a situation.

Among the Lowest in the World

Ivan cited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2013 report in the talk show. It concluded that only 1 in 1,000 Indonesian people has good book-reading habits. Or it just 0.001 percent.

“It (the inferior literacy level) is caused by several factors, such as the lack of familiarization with reading habits from an early age in families. It has a stumbling impact on accessing new information,” said Ivan.

Indonesia’s literacy continues to decline. According to research, the human attention- span now is just about 40 seconds due to the massive use of gadgets and social media, compared to the 3.5 minutes 10 years ago.

“It means that humans can only concentrate for 40 seconds now. Ten years ago, humans could still focus much longer, by nearly ten times,” Ivan explained.

“We are spoiled by technology. When we want to know something, we go to Google or ChatGPT to find out. Without having access to books, they already feel smart. They no longer need to look for references on whether the information is right or wrong,” he explained further.

Indonesian Professionals Are Uncompetitive

The World Economic Forum (WEF) published the Future Jobs Report 2023 in April this year. It explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years. The report also predicted the professions and skills needed in the next five years.

“There are four Cs for the 21st century. It is the abbreviation of skills essential human resources should master in this digital era. The four skills are Critical thinking and problem solving; Creativity; Communications skills; and Collaboration,” said Ivan.

Citing his own experience, he found that Indonesian consultants often fail to match upto the foreign consultants. This comes as a surprise one would assume Indonesians beingeffectively bilingual should hold more advantageous over foreigners.

“Indonesians are not less smart than them. But Indonesians are often not self-confident when  presenting something verbally or in writing,” the energetic promoter of the use of standard Indonesian language.

The proposal recipients should find it easier to read the proposal written in Indonesian. But the language is less focused,while English proposalsare more straightforward and clear.

Efforts to Optimize Literacy

Amid the progress of technology, which facilitates information access, we must be wise in judging or comprehending the information we receive. Technology enables misinformation to spread widely and speedily.

“There are different sources of information, they come from reading, observations, and conversations.”

Apart from this, parents and teachers must begin to read to their children to improve literacy quality at a family level. From there, children will understand that by reading diligently will allow them to get information they have never experienced before.

“We can turn around the low literacy in Indonesia. With motivatededucators, we can work together to develop literacy in Indonesia,” Ivan argued.

Improving Interest in Reading

Indonesians lack theinterest in reading and writing

The knowledge level of our nation will not increase because human knowledge continues developing, and science continues developing. Now, there are Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. The concept of science and knowledge continues growing and Indonesians need to catch up with the developments.

“When we are too lazy to read, our access to new science and knowledge islow. As a result, we believe in whatever information we receive without verification,” said the literacy activist.

Parents and teachers need to encourage young Indonesians to read books. The need to be the children’s role model and inspiration in the pursuit of knowledge and literacy.

Tanoto Foundation’s host Ivy Batuta talks with Chef Martin Praja about how to deal with toddlers who refuse to eat or who only want to eat their favorite food. The 33-year-old chef and father shares his experiences in handling his two-year-old son, Mori, during mealtime.

When Mori refuses to eat, it can be due to various reasons like hunger, food preferences, or health issues. Martin suggests avoiding sugary snacks and providing real food with proteins, veggies, and fruits. He often allows Mori to choose his food, encouraging independence.

When Mori rejects vegetables, Martin suggests keeping a variety of veggies on the table and sneakily incorporating them into different dishes. For example, he often cooks Chawanmushi, a Japanese savoury custard, adding nutrition to Mori’s diet.

As a chef and a father, Martin emphasizes the importance of communication and involving both parents in meal planning. He plans to teach Mori cooking skills in the future, promoting a healthy relationship with food.

Let’s share experiences and tips on ensuring our little ones enjoy a balanced diet! Listen to the interview at YouTube Tanoto Foundation.

In a conversation with Margaretha Ari Widowati, the Director of Primary Education at the Tanoto Foundation, Professor Dr. Nunuk Suryani, who is the Director General of Teacher and Educational Staff at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, discussed the challenges the Ministry faces in ensuring the provision of high-quality teachers while simultaneously enhancing the competence of teachers throughout Indonesian.

The quality of teachers in Indonesia is a pressing concern for the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim. The country currently has a total of four million teachers, including three million formal and one million informal teachers. Unfortunately, a significant portion of them lacks certification, contrary to the requirements outlined in the 2005 Teachers and Lecturers Law, which mandates fulfillment of qualification and competence criteria.

Professor Nunuk explained the strategy to upgrade teacher qualifications and competence, emphasizing that new teacher recruits must meet the established standards for qualification and competence. In the new recruitment system, teacher candidates are required to be graduates of S1 or D4 (Teachers Professional Education Program) programs and must undergo the Professional Teacher Education Program (PPG) before commencing their teaching duties.

Quoting data from the Ministry, Ari from Tanoto Foundation pointed out that Indonesia is facing an imminent teacher shortage crisis, expecting a shortfall of 1.3 million teachers in 2024. This raises the question of how the Ministry plans to address this crisis.

While acknowledging the issue, Nunuk highlighted that they have implemented several measures to mitigate the impending shortage. Initial projections estimate a deficit of 1.3 million teachers in 2024, with 70,000 teachers retiring annually. Fortunately, the Ministry has managed to address this situation through a special recruitment program launched by the minister in 2021, aiming to recruit civil servant teachers under a governmental employment agreement (ASN PPPK), potentially filling one million teaching positions. Over the past three years, the Ministry has already recruited 544,000 new teachers, ensuring their quality through this accelerated policy to alleviate the teacher shortage.

Dealing with Regional Governments

There are two notable obstacles in the recruitment of teachers. The first pertains to the Ministry’s presence of non-civil servants or non-permanent teachers in schools. The second challenge revolves around addressing issues arising from the annual retirement of teachers, reaching a count of 70,000.

“The Ministry grapples with a misalignment with regional governments. Discrepancies often arise between the Ministry and regional governments regarding the accurate data on required teachers. In 2023, the Ministry aims to hire 600,000 new teachers, but the regional governments indicate a need for only 300,000 teachers,” explained the senior bureaucrat.

But, the most important thing is to provide quality teachers in the education system. “In recruiting quality teachers, we must collaborate with other ministries and local authorities,” she explained.

The Ministry collaborates with the National Selection Committee to ascertain the precise number of teachers needed. Subsequently, the proposal is forwarded to the Bureaucratic Reform Ministry. Following this, the Finance Ministry handles the remuneration of the teachers. Finally, the comprehensive package is presented to local governments.

“There exists a disparity between the Ministry and regional authorities. If this discrepancy persists, the balance between supply and demand will remain uneven,” said the director general.

Teachers Talent Pool

One proposed solution to address the teacher recruitment challenge is the establishment of a ‘marketplace’ or a Teachers’ Talent Pool. The Ministry’s responsibility is to supply qualified teachers, allowing schools to choose the teachers they require directly from this pool

“With the pool, the process of hiring will be simpler. The Ministry shares the recruitment responsibility with regional governments. The regions just need to pick the candidates they need from the pool,” said Nunuk.

Nevertheless, she recognized the difficulty in finding qualified teachers. Attracting quality teachers is a challenge due to a lack of interest in the profession, despite extensive campaigns. Many candidates do not meet the requirements, with only a maximum of 50 percent meeting the qualifications

Collaboration with Philanthropic Sector

The Ministry believes that collaboration with the private sector can help bridge the gap and ensure that each region receives teachers in line with their specific needs, focusing on critical subjects like mathematics.

Finding qualified teachers remains a challenge, and the Ministry is actively seeking partnerships with private sectors and philanthropic organizations to attract young talent to the teaching profession.