Lestari Moerdijat: Multi-stakeholder Collaboration Key to Closing Literacy Gap

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Lestari Moerdijat stressed the need for active involvement of all stakeholders to ensure equitable distribution of reading materials to remote villages to boost national literacy. She highlighted that the main issue is not a lack of reading interest but limited access to quality materials. ‘The primary challenge in Indonesia’s literacy isn’t just low reading interest, but also the inadequate availability and accessibility of quality reading materials,’ Lestari Moerdijat stated in a written statement on Friday (29 May). Lestari, also known as Rerie, pointed to the National Library’s (Perpusnas) March 2026 release of the Community Literacy Development Index (IPLM), which scored a low 40.6 nationally. This figure is concerning for Indonesia’s Golden Vision 2045 goals. Rerie cited World Population Review 2025 data showing Indonesians spend an average of 129 hours reading per year, significantly behind India (352 hours) and the United States (357 hours). She also noted the anomaly between internet penetration of 77-80% and a stagnant national digital literacy index of 44.53 in 2025. ‘Technology access alone is insufficient without improving digital literacy skills,’ she stressed as a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission X. In response to these challenges, Perpusnas declared readiness on Monday (25 May) to collaborate with the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi RI). The partnership aims to optimise digital literacy, including strengthening iPusnas services which have high readability but face digital security challenges. Rerie, also a senior member of NasDem Party’s High Council, said literacy programmes must not operate in isolation. Collaboration between central and regional governments and literacy advocates must be reinforced through concrete on-ground action. ‘Now is the time to act. The nation needs intelligent, character-driven generations, starting with literacy. There’s no shortcut—only sustained collaboration,’ she concluded. Data Literacy Indonesia: (Z-10) According to Lestari, ancient manuscripts are evidence of the nation’s intellectual tradition. If not mainstreamed as learning materials, preservation efforts lose meaning. The next step is awaiting the issuance of a decree establishing libraries and their management structure, to be determined by OIKN and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. iPusnas currently holds around 134,309 titles with 1.48 million digital copies, recording 770,106 new users in 2025. House of Representatives Commission X member Bonnie Triyana strongly criticised poor digital services and the worrying physical state of libraries across Indonesia. The state of regional libraries and national digital services were scrutinised during a Commission X hearing with the National Library chief.