National Library and Unpad to Boost Literacy in 74 West Java Villages Through Thematic KKN

The National Library (Perpusnas) is collaborating with Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) to strengthen public literacy through the 2026 Thematic Community Service Programme (KKN) in 74 villages across West Java. Head of Perpusnas, E. Aminudin Aziz, stated that Unpad is one of 23 universities collaborating with the national library on this year’s thematic KKN, an increase from 21 universities involving around 10,400 students in 17 provinces in 2025. “After discussions with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, we saw a need to jointly improve literacy skills in West Java,” he said in an official statement in Jakarta on Friday. He noted that although the province’s Human Development Index (IPM) is high, overall literacy and the reading culture remain low. “Reading social media might be high, but serious reading is still a challenge,” he said. Through the 2026 programme, Perpusnas will reach 1,000 locations across 18 provinces. In West Java specifically, 740 Unpad students will be deployed to 74 villages. The programme focuses on strengthening financial literacy, poverty alleviation, and health. To support implementation, Perpusnas has provided approximately 1,000 book titles in each target village. “This means for 74 villages, around 74,000 book titles are available. This is a form of Perpusnas’s commitment to building a literacy culture with universities,” he explained. Aminudin believes students have a closer connection with the community, making them effective literacy drivers at the village level. “Students are usually more easily accepted by the community. They come not as civil servants, but as wholehearted partners. We invite students to jointly build community literacy skills as our shared responsibility,” he said. Unpad Rector, Arief S. Kartasmita, said the KKN is part of the learning process that provides students with direct community experience and is expected to support government programmes while helping solve societal problems. The West Java Provincial Government, represented by Assistant for Government and People’s Welfare Asep Sukmana, stated that this year’s KKN programme aligns with various regional development priorities, including poverty alleviation, waste management, and literacy improvement.