Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education: Universal Participation Needed to Expand Availability of Quality Books
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) is strengthening collaboration and participation with various parties to expand the availability of quality reading books and simultaneously improve student literacy.
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, stated in a written statement in Central Jakarta on Sunday that the ministry is continuously reinforcing efforts to provide quality education for all Indonesian children by involving support from various stakeholders, ranging from central and local governments to the business world and the general public.
“We are striving with all our capabilities to increase children’s interest in reading. Together with partners, including Pura Barutama and PT Mars Akbar Mandiri, we hope this programme runs smoothly and benefits Indonesian children,” said Minister Mu’ti.
According to him, the provision of quality reading books is not solely the responsibility of the government. Local governments and the private sector also have the opportunity to contribute to enriching reading materials for students. He noted that reading habits must be continuously cultivated because not all knowledge can be acquired within the classroom, which is limited by time and space.
In addition to printed books, the ministry is also introducing the ‘Rumah Pendidikan’ (Education House) service, which allows teachers and students to download both textbook and non-textbook materials for free in the form of digital books, audiobooks, and video books. This platform, Mu’ti said, is expected to further expand access to high-quality learning resources.
Hariqo Wibawa Satria, Senior Expert of the Indonesian Communication Agency (Bakom RI), expressed appreciation for the Ministry’s commitment to realising inclusive quality education, such as providing Braille books as well as audio and video learning resources for children with special needs. “These efforts must be continuously strengthened as part of improving national literacy quality,” he noted.
Hariqo also called upon all stakeholders to work together to open wider access to quality reading materials so that more students can develop good reading and writing skills.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Language Development and Fostering Agency (Badan Bahasa) under the Ministry, Hafidz Muksin, stated that book distribution this year reaches 510 regencies/cities across 38 provinces, prioritising educational units whose literacy levels remain below minimum competency according to National Assessment (AN) results.
Although it does not yet cover all intended educational units, the Language Agency ensures that these books can be utilised to their maximum potential by teachers, headmasters, and students. Every book package sent to schools is accompanied by usage guidelines.
“The books being sent are equipped with usage guidelines, so it is expected that teachers, headmasters, and students will find it easier to utilise them,” he said.
Through stronger collaboration, Hafidz hopes more Indonesian children will have access to quality reading materials so they can grow into a generation that is intelligent, critical, characterised, and ready to advance the nation.
“Our collective steps serve as a driver to ensure that the distributed quality books are utilised to their maximum benefit. We hope our efforts can produce students who are intelligent, critical, and characterised to support the progress of the Indonesian nation,” he concluded.