Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — In an effort to bolster digital literacy among younger generations, Indonesia plans to introduce coding as an elective subject in elementary and middle schools. The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) announced that preliminary discussions have already taken place regarding this initiative.
Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, confirmed that she has been in talks with Abdul Mu’ti, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, to integrate coding into the national curriculum.
“We have had initial conversations with the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education. The idea is to incorporate a coding curriculum, potentially developing joint modules,” Meutya said on Friday, November 15, as reported by CNBC Indonesia.
A Push for Digital Skills
This initiative comes as part of a directive from Indonesia’s Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who has urged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to include coding education as a subject in elementary and middle schools.
“I believe this is a great initiative, and during our last meeting, I asked the Minister to consider implementing coding lessons at the elementary and middle school levels,” Gibran said during a policy evaluation meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, November 14.
Gibran emphasized that introducing coding in schools is crucial for achieving the nation’s vision of a “Golden Indonesia.” He envisions a future where the country is filled with experts in fields like coding, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
“We must not fall behind countries like India. To achieve a ‘Golden Indonesia,’ we need a generation of skilled professionals. We want to see more coding experts, AI specialists, machine learning professionals, and others,” he added.
Curriculum Update in the Works
Responding to this directive, Abdul Mu’ti, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, acknowledged the mandate and indicated that his ministry would explore adding coding and AI as part of the upcoming curriculum revision.
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“In our plan for curriculum updates, we aim to include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Coding as subjects,” Abdul said during the same event.
However, he clarified that these subjects would remain optional and would only be implemented in schools with the necessary resources. The decision to make coding and AI elective subjects is driven by the need for advanced equipment and reliable internet infrastructure, which are not yet available in all schools.
“These subjects require sophisticated tools and strong internet connectivity, which not all of our schools currently possess,” Abdul explained.
Supporting National Digitalization Efforts
The introduction of coding and AI lessons within school subject aligns with the broader digitalization agenda championed by President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. This initiative is part of the government’s strategy to enhance the quality of education and prepare the next generation for the challenges of a digital future.
“Digitalization is a key effort to improve the quality of education and equip our youth with competitive skills on the global stage. Among these crucial skills are Artificial Intelligence and Coding,” Abdul concluded.
By integrating digital literacy into the school curriculum, Indonesia aims to nurture a tech-savvy generation capable of driving innovation and economic growth in the increasingly digitalized world.
(Raidi/Agung)
