Head of Language Agency Praises NTT's Highest National Reading Enthusiasm
Head of the Language Development and Cultivation Agency (Badan Bahasa) under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), Hafidz Muksin, has praised Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) province for achieving the highest reading enthusiasm nationally.
According to the National Library’s 2025 National Reading Enthusiasm Survey, the national average is 54.80, while NTT recorded 62.05.
He noted that this achievement indicates Indonesians have high reading enthusiasm despite low literacy rates.
“The province’s reading enthusiasm index is encouraging as it exceeds the national average, reinforcing that Indonesian people’s reading enthusiasm is not low. The low literacy rates are due to limited access for children and teachers. Thus, NTT’s high reading enthusiasm index may not yet be supported by sufficient resources,” he said at the National Book Day event in Kupang, NTT, on Tuesday (26/5).
The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranked Indonesia 68th globally in reading literacy with a score of 359.
Hafidz stated that these findings further suggest Indonesian children face limited literacy access, necessitating interventions to provide reading materials.
“Indonesian literacy still requires a collective effort. From studies, national assessments, and TKA, literacy results remain unimpressive. Thus, Kemendikdasmen’s efforts focus on creating age-appropriate reading materials,” Hafidz said.
This year, Kemendikdasmen, via Badan Bahasa, will distribute 200 copies of books to over 1,000 primary schools in NTT.
“In 2026, NTT will be prioritised and we will provide books to over 1,000 primary schools, each receiving 200 copies. We hope this aids our children’s literacy improvement,” he added.
Badan Bahasa also distributed 5,400 quality reading books to NTT’s ‘bunda literasi’ (literacy mothers), who will distribute them to schools across the province. Additionally, symbolic external hard drives containing 1,400 digital quality reading titles were provided to NTT’s ‘bunda literasi’, to be duplicated onto flash drives and distributed to district/city-level ‘bunda literasi’.
Hafidz also praised INOVASI, an Australia-Indonesia partnership aiding the NTT government in ensuring children master basic literacy and numeracy skills while developing good character.
INOVASI is now in its third phase, strengthening lecturers’, teachers’, and school principals’ competencies through integrated training, including mother tongue transition in early grades, particularly in West Sumba, Nagekeo, North Central Timor, East Sumba, South Central Timor, and Ende districts.
“This motivates and inspires Kemendikdasmen to share best practices of nationwide participation in Indonesia. While Kemendikdasmen has a national literacy movement, we also need school, community, village, and family literacy initiatives to activate the entire ecosystem. This demonstrates collective efforts to improve literacy in Indonesia,” Hafidz explained.
Meanwhile, NTT Governor’s Special Staff Henderina Laiskodat said the event serves as a moment to reflect on the nation’s and region’s future direction.
“Based on the National Library’s reading enthusiasm survey, NTT has the highest national reading enthusiasm — a source of pride. The data shows NTT’s strong learning spirit and reading culture, though future challenges include enhancing literacy quality, as motivation for reading culture needs strengthening,” Henderina said.
“Youth literacy initiatives hold strategic significance as a civilisational investment. They aim to foster critical thinking so young people can wisely navigate information in today’s complex technological landscape,” she concluded.