Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Lead the First G20 Education Working Group Meeting

Atdikbudriyadh, Yogyakarta, – The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT/Kemendikbudristek) of the Republic of Indonesia will hold the first G20 Education Working Group (EdWG) meeting. Armed with transformative breakthroughs from the Emancipated Learning (Merdeka Belajar) program, Indonesia is seen as an exemplary country that has successfully transformed the quality of education despite being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore will lead G20 member countries to help and support each other to reach the same goal by discussing their efforts through four priority agendas.

This was conveyed by the Director General of Teachers and Education Personnel of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Iwan Syahril as Chair of the G20 Education Working Group in the first meeting of the G20 EdWG 2022, which took place in Yogyakarta on Tuesday (15/3).

Supporting each other to reach a common goal or gotong royong, says Iwan, has indeed become the main spirit of Indonesia’s G20 Presidency. The entity and the noble values of Indonesian culture are also reflected in the overall theme, namely “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” or “Recover Together”.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged change and innovation in various aspects of life, including the education system. Not only in Indonesia, but also the rest of the world,” said Iwan. He emphasized that to solve problems and find correct and innovative solutions for the global education and culture sector, collaborative steps have to be taken.

To manifest this goal, in the G20 Presidency, Indonesia invites the world to work hand in hand, supporting each other to recover together and grow stronger in a sustainable way in terms of education and culture. This invitation is also presented in the form of four priority agendas that will be raised by Indonesia at various G20 Education Working Group meetings, namely: Universal Quality Education, Digital Technologies in Education, Solidarity and Partnership, and The Future of Work Post-COVID-19.

“The key message is ‘gotong royong’, working together to reach a common goal. Thus, through the G20 Education Working Group, Indonesia invites the G20 member countries to support each other in discussing how to provide a quality education system within four priority agendas that we are proposing,” said Iwan.

As the leader of the G20 Education Working Group, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia encourages G20 member countries to share their experiences, challenges and suggestions to find solutions for the common good. “We believe that with good collaboration, the results of this discussion will have a significant impact on the global education system,” said Iwan

APPENDIX

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) of the Republic of Indonesia will hold the first G20 Education Working Group (EdWG) meeting in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from 16th to 18th March 2022. Four priority agendas will be discussed in this meeting. These priorities include:

Priority 1: Universal Quality Education

One of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The commitment to inclusive education needs to be strengthened. Further effort with stronger collaboration is needed in order to reach the goal of universal quality education as the world now also needs to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable groups.

Priority 2: Digital Technologies in Education

Technology has grown in importance as a means to maintain education during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is able to reach students who are physically unable to attend school, reduce learning gaps, and connect students to open learning resources. It is imperative to reimagine education to help students experience a more equitable, engaging, and fun learning environment using digital technology. Equal access to digital technology is one of the means to meet the need for universal quality education. In addition to supporting academic achievement, innovative digital technology tools need to be invented to foster better student-teacher interaction, increase wellbeing, and stimulate social emotional development.

Priority 3: Solidarity and Partnerships

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a wakeup call for us all, especially on the need of rebuilding a resilient education system. Support for the learning community during the pandemic are mostly built upon solidarity. Inter-sectoral approaches and partnerships between the government, international organizations, civil societies, private sectors, and other various stakeholders need to be strengthened in order to accelerate efforts in rebuilding the education sector post-pandemic.

Priority 4: The Future of Work Post COVID-19

The nature of work has undergone fundamental changes, even prior to COVID-19 pandemic. Internet and digital technology connect people around the world. Combined with advances in digital technologies, this hyperconnectivity has created new forms of remote work and collaborations. Furthermore, advances in artificial intelligence and other key sciences, along with the unprecedented availability of vast amounts of data, have also led to the automation of both manual and knowledge-intensive jobs.

Vocational and higher education need to be transformed to be able to meet these challenges. They will need to find ways to equip students with skills that are relevant in an ever-changing landscape of work.

Bureau for Cooperation and Public Relations
Secretariat General
Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology

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