Partnerships for online community's benefit

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta

In this heyday of hype and hypocrisy, it is sometimes refreshing to see a project that is created with the public's interest in mind.

Universitas Terbuka (Open University) Indonesia, a government- owned institution, has been offering programs through distance learning in which busy professionals can study during their free time.

Using facsimile machines and traditional postal system, students can communicate with their teachers and each other to discuss and collaborate. Now the university is looking to the Internet as an additional medium for teaching.

Recognizing that many of its students live in remote areas, far from the many educational institutions located in major cities, UT has designed a new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) supported distance learning application accessible from its website (www.ut.ac.id).

Students can view certain lectures, tutorials, video presentation and discussions from this web-based application. They can even communicate and pool resources with other students with this application.

According to Dr. Tian Belawati, the university's vice rector, the main reason for taking advantage of the Internet is its capability and flexibility in delivering supporting material for students.

"(The) Internet offers the opportunity for UT to provide a fast and reliable communication channel as well as other support to our students," she said. "Now, since Internet access points are increasing (as they are provided by warnets, or Internet kiosks), we think it is time to enhance its utilization and to promote it to our students."

Acknowledging the fact that PC ownership penetration is very low in Indonesia, UT has forged partnerships with infrastructure providers, namely warnets that are scattered throughout the archipelago. One such partner is the Association of Community Internet Center (APWKomitel), which has members all over Indonesia.

Rudy Rusdiah, chairman of APWKomitel, said that by collaborating with UT, both parties help each other. UT would be able to effectively and efficiently service their students while the many small and medium enterprises (SME) that focus on the Internet trade would be able to build their businesses and communities.

"This opens the opportunity for UT to cover all of Indonesia without any money from donors or loans, saving the government lots of money for other purposes," he said.

"Furthermore, this project helps solve (the) digital and educational divide issue ... a big gap between the people who have access to education and the people who do not have access to education in remote areas."

Having a warnet as an extension for an educational institution is perhaps a new business model for struggling Internet centers. After the initial dot-com boom, Internet-related companies are now dropping likes flies, warnet included.

APWKomitel hopes to make the warnet a Multipurpose Community Internet Center (MCIC), which not only provides Internet browsing, gaming, chatting and e-mail but for other tasks such as shopping, e-business and e-learning.

For distance learning students, these MCICs may be ideal to meet their study groups. As they rarely go to class and meet each other, study groups offer a social environment for distance learning students to meet and discuss their topics and assignments.

Meeting up in their local warnet to download their latest assignments and share ideas is not only a good idea, but also more cost effective since they can pool their resources for printing and computer rental.

APWKomitel pledges special discounts for UT students and their study groups. It also hopes to provide training to students on how to access and use the application. For students living in remote areas, getting a degree may no longer be a pipe dream but a reality.

This joint venture should perhaps be an example of how partnerships can work. Too many times do we see companies, in the quest for quick profits, abandon their core competencies and join in the fray.

For example, why should a telecommunications company start up an Internet center or web-hosting business unit when there are abundant companies that already offer the same service? Why not focus on wiring the countryside where phone penetration is low?

By concentrating on each other's strengths, businesses in the Indonesian Internet economy would have a better chance of surviving and coexisting in these difficult times. Unfortunately, as pride and greed continue to influence the corporate goals of many businesses, we should expect to see more bankrupt businesses in the future.