Two East Java Education Innovations Garner Positive Recognition from the Ministry of Home Affairs
Two education innovations in East Java—Proteg (Program Terapan Ekonomi Guru Non-ASN) and the East Java Innovative Education Summit (EJIES)—have received positive recognition from the Ministry of Home Affairs. East Java was described as Indonesia’s most innovative region, with the highest score in the national provincial innovation index, though officials warned that other regions are also advancing and that innovation acceleration must continue. In addition to the provincial level, the average regencies and cities in East Java are also in the top tier of the government’s innovation ratings, but the biggest challenge remains building a culture and ecosystem of collaborative innovation rather than siloed efforts.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION. On the same occasion, Dyah Natalisa, a professor at the Faculty of Economics, Sriwijaya University, urged East Java’s education department to strengthen the integration of digital technology and to transform teachers toward entrepreneurship as a basis for developing future educational innovations. She also suggested the department conduct beneficiary surveys of the programmes implemented, such as Proteg and EJIES, to measure the direct impact of innovations on the community.
Meanwhile, the East Java Education Department presented its achievements and educational innovations for 2024–2025 to the Innovation Governance Award (IGA) assessors from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The presentation formed part of the regional innovation assessment targeting improvements in education quality and regional governance.
PROGRAM INNOVATION. Aries Agung Paewai, head of the East Java Education Department, explained various innovations that have a direct impact on educational services in East Java. One notable highlight is the Proteg and EJIES programmes. He noted that the visit of the Ministry of Home Affairs team to East Java was part of the direct assessment of the implementation of regional innovation. According to him, East Java has historically been the region contributing the most innovations to the IGA Award and East Java was the national champion. “The team from the Ministry of Home Affairs toured various regions, including East Java. The East Java Education Department provides the most innovations for the IGA Award and East Java is the national champion,” Aries said.
He added that the education sector’s contribution to regional innovation achievements is quite significant. There has even been a substantial increase from 2024 to 2025. The Ministry of Home Affairs also directly reviewed various programmes built by East Java’s education department and their impact on schools and the community. Therefore, they continue to encourage teachers not to stop creating educational innovations. “Innovations born are answers to the problems faced by communities. The aim is for education to have a real impact on the school environment and on the wider community,” he said.
He explained that of 398 innovations submitted, 196 had reached a high level of maturity. The assessment was based on validation results and the degree of community usefulness.
COLLABORATION WITH MEDIA. Aries also emphasised the importance of collaboration with the media in supporting publicity of educational innovations. He argued that this collaboration is part of the pentAhelix concept in developing regional innovation. Another flagship programme of the East Java Education Department is EJIES, which serves as a platform for education professionals in East Java to showcase various educational innovations. “There are around 24,000 innovations entered into EJIES,” he said.