Nadiem Hearing: Pangandaran Civil Servant Reveals Chromebook Laptops Provided Despite Unstable Internet Signal
JAKARTA — A civil servant from the Education and Culture Department in Pangandaran District, West Java, Panji Sumarna, has revealed that his region received Chromebook laptop procurement despite inadequate internet connectivity. Sumarna provided this testimony whilst being examined as a witness in the ongoing trial of alleged corruption in Chromebook laptop procurement, with former Education, Culture and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim as the defendant.
The Public Prosecutor initially questioned whether Chromebooks could be effectively utilised for teaching and learning processes in primary and secondary schools that received the 2021 procurement batch. Sumarna’s response prompted further inquiry from prosecutors regarding internet signal conditions in Pangandaran.
“No, it is not stable because we are still somewhat remote, sir. There were still many blank spots without signal at that time in 2021,” Sumarna stated.
The prosecutor expressed confusion at this answer, as the technical guidelines for the procurement stipulated that schools receiving Chromebooks must have adequate signal coverage and internet connectivity.
“That is correct,” Sumarna confirmed.
Due to poor signal quality, the Chromebooks received could not be utilised optimally. The devices could only be used during the administration of minimum competency assessments (AKM).
During the 2021-2022 period, Pangandaran District in West Java procured 950 Chromebook units with a budget of Rp 6.5 billion.
Nadiem Makarim faces charges of causing state financial losses of Rp 2.1 trillion in the alleged Chromebook procurement corruption case. He is accused of acting in collaboration with three other defendants: Ibrahim Arief, former technology consultant to the Education and Culture Ministry; Mulyatsyah, former Director of Secondary Schools at the Education and Culture Ministry; and Sri Wahyuningsih, former Director of Primary Schools at the Education and Culture Ministry.
The state financial loss calculation comprises two components: the Chromebook laptop procurement and the Chrome Device Management (CDM) procurement.