Minister of Villages Promotes Collaboration in Serang to Enhance Education Quality

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Villages and Underdeveloped Regions (Mendes PDT) Yandri Susanto has invited all education stakeholders in Serang Regency, Banten, to collaborate with the government to enhance the quality of education in villages. “In Serang Regency, there are 326 villages. All are villages, with no urban wards. Therefore, the Minister of Villages has a direct or indirect interest in ensuring that education quality is genuinely present in all villages in Serang Regency,” said Minister Yandri, quoted in Jakarta on Tuesday. He made this statement during a speech at an event for establishing rapport and synergy with school principals and education stakeholders across Serang Regency, held at the BAI Mahdi Islamic Boarding School in Serang. Furthermore, Minister Yandri explained that one of the efforts by his ministry to improve village education quality is through collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen). He cited as an example the One Village One PAUD programme, in which both parties work to build quality PAUD facilities, thereby improving infrastructure and facilities to support education. Therefore, Minister Yandri invited all school principals and education stakeholders in Serang Regency to serve as the best example in the success of the collaboration between the Ministry of Villages and Kemendikdasmen. “We at the Ministry of Villages, together with Prof Mu’ti, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, have signed an MoU to enhance village education quality across Indonesia, including in Serang. One form of the MoU is One Village One PAUD. I hope this MoU will become the best example originating from Serang Regency,” he said. Previously, Kemendikdasmen has stated its readiness to prioritise budget allocations for the revitalisation of education units to build early childhood education (PAUD) infrastructure in support of 13-year compulsory education. Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti stated that his ministry will gradually build at least one kindergarten in each village to ensure the implementation of one year of preschool compulsory education.