Creativity can actually start in simple things. This was demonstrated in the Pelita Guru Mandiri (PGM) Roll Out training held at SDN 004 Pelalawan, Kecamatan Pelalawan, Kabupaten Pelalawan, Riau Province by Tanoto Foundation.

Through the Pelita Guru Mandiri program, Tanoto Foundation holds various trainings for teachers in an effort to improve their competence and capacity.

The roll out training is a continuation program of the previous PGM activity, namely Training of Trainer. “Before attending Pelita Guru Mandiri training from Tanoto Foundation, I never imagined that I would make simple learning tools.

After I practiced to make one myself, it turned out to be not too difficult and could utilize simple materials available in our surroundings, “said Mrs. Erliza, a teacher of Bernas Elementary School, Kecamatan Pangkalan Kerinci, Kabupaten Pelalawan, Riau.

In this training, teachers demonstrated that they quickly absorbed the concept explained to them. They could create simple teaching media. Some teachers even used very simple tools in teaching the lessons.

One of these very simple tools can be created by utilizing the angles of a ceramic floor tile to teach numbers and distances. This is a simple but very useful way because it facilitates the pupils’ understanding and can be done while playing.

The PGM Roll Out Training also discusses Project Approach-based teaching method. This teaching method can help the teachers in creating simple researches to be conducted by the students.

A teacher can invite the students to determine a simple research topic from around the school. At the end of the session, the students will be asked to conclude the observation. This method allows the students to think more critically, which can even become the basis for further scientific researches.

Over 100 guests comprising alumni from the Wharton School and Singapore Management University (SMU), as well as academics, industry experts and businessmen, participated in the Wharton-SMU dialogue on Monday, 5 March 2018. Supported by Tanoto Foundation, the dialogue featured a panel discussion on the topic ‘The New World Order: Implications for Asia and Global Trade’. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour former Singapore President and SMU Honorary Patron Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam.

Tanoto Foundation has been supporting SMU students with the Tanoto Scholarship since year 2000. The Tanoto Foundation, together with its corporate partners, holds an annual Wharton-SMU Global Modular Course event, whereby Wharton and SMU students are invited to visit Indonesia to learn sustainable business practices.

Since 2013, through the Wharton-Tanoto Initiative, Tanoto Foundation aims to improve the quality of business education and research on ASEAN with a strong focus on Indonesia through research grants to Wharton faculties. Apart from research grants, the Foundation provides funding for Wharton faculty staff to travel to ASEAN to gain in depth first hand exposure to the region. Every year, the Global Faculty Development Program under the Wharton Tanoto Initiative brings selected faculty staff from Indonesian universities to Wharton for mentoring and training on how to get their research published in top tier international journals.

The panel consisted of leading thinkers from academia, politics and business:
• Professor Geoffrey Garrett, Dean, The Wharton School
• Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
• Ms Chloe Cho, Moderator, Channel News Asia
• Mr Helman Sitohang, Member of the Executive Board, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse
• Professor Gerard George, Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

The panel discussion saw some intellectual sparring amongst the panellists; while Prof Garrett was leaning towards a world led by geo-economics, Prof Koh was of a different opinion that geo-politics eventually override geo-economics, just as history has shown us before.

Prof George shared that the major global trends that we will see are countries competing over data, natural resources and technology innovation, whoever who wants to lead in this new world order will have to manage and grapple with these resources.

Climate is also highlighted as a huge deciding factor in how world trends will pan out in the future, which is currently not talked about enough, potentially affecting migration trends around the world. In line with that, Mr Sitohang shared that sustainability is a very current issue that he sees the corporate world being increasingly aware and involved in.

The world is not just a bi-polarity struggle between China and the US, but a multi-polarity tussle between the major powers of the world, not forgetting the likes of Japan, Russia, Europe, India and ASEAN. But there is clear power shift towards Asia and will continue to be even more so in future.

Watch the full episode here:

Muhammad Farid Yahya, a Tanoto Scholar from Mulawarman University, recently experienced success in two national business-related competitions in Indonesia, in the span of three months.

In September 2017, Farid emerged as the champion in a National Business Plan Competition organized by the economics faculty at Sriwijaya University in Palembang.

Two months later, Farid took second place at the Young Indonesian Sociopreneur Expo and Competition, this time organized by Gadjah Mada University in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Farid worked with two friends from the same faculty, Andi Faedal and Arie Anggara, during the competition. The trio created a snack product called Salty.id, which uses salted fish of the Jambal variety. They use Jambal to make the snack as it is tastier than using Tenggiri fish or Biawan fish.

Using Jambal is also a smart business move, as there is an abundant stock of the fish near where Farid and his friends live in Berau, East Kalimantan.

Farid explained that prices of the fish will be more reasonable if the fish is purchased directly from the fishermen, without any middlemen involved.

Farid and his team have even made innovations with their product. Now they don’t just do regular salted fish but they also have different flavors of their product, including Black Pepper, Sweet and Sour, Spicy Meat (Rendang) and Rica-rica (Indonesian seasoning).

Farid has also improved the packaging for the Salty.id products in a bid to attract more customers. Farid said he is currently trying to target younger people to buy his product, adding that the networks he has built through attending the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2016 event will be useful in developing his business further.

As the Tanoto Scholar realizes that fish products in Indonesia have the potential to develop, Farid and his teammates are committed to continue developing Salty.id while they are finishing university.

For now, besides scaling up the Salty.id business, Farid plans to also continue his studies by taking up a master’s degree after graduation.