Bappenas Optimises Demographic Dividend Potential in South Kalimantan

…This significant potential must be converted into tangible prosperity so that all segments of society can directly feel the impact of development. Banjarmasin (ANTARA) - The Ministry of National Development Planning (PPN)/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) is optimising the demographic dividend potential in South Kalimantan to improve the welfare of the community by strengthening financial literacy and continuously improving the quality of the productive-age workforce. The Director of Islamic Economics and State-Owned Enterprises at Bappenas, Rosy Wediawaty, stated in Banjarmasin on Tuesday that the proportion of the productive-age population in South Kalimantan reaches 68 per cent, which is a strategic national asset. “This significant potential must be converted into tangible prosperity so that all segments of society can directly feel the impact of development,” she said. According to her, the large proportion of the productive-age population indicates a very favourable demographic dividend phase. “We must maximise this momentum to strengthen the old-age protection system, including pension funds as a fiscal buffer in the future,” she added. From the perspective of education as an indicator of welfare, Rosy presented data on the Average Length of Schooling (ALS) in South Kalimantan, which continues to grow positively, recording a steady increase from 8.69 years in 2020 to 9.02 years in 2024. Although it has increased, Rosy noted that the ALS achievement in South Kalimantan is still below the national figure of 9.22 years in 2024. This poses a challenge for the regional government to accelerate the quality of education so that the productive-age population of South Kalimantan has high competitiveness at the national level. “Human resources need to be improved comprehensively through education and financial literacy. We must ensure that this productive-age population is integrated into the formal financial system in a healthy and productive manner,” she said. According to Rosy, people with high financial literacy will be more empowered in managing the economic potential of their villages. This independence is the main foundation in realising sustainable community welfare at the grassroots level without relying solely on social assistance schemes. “The synergy between the quality of education and financial independence is the key for South Kalimantan to face Indonesia’s Golden Age 2045. Bappenas is committed to ensuring that this demographic dividend truly brings prosperity to all the people of South Kalimantan,” said Rosy Wediawaty. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.