Media Release
26 September 2023
Australian Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Steve Scott today joined the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia Nadiem Makarim, to launch the book "Build Back Stronger: The Learning Gap Series", which looks at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning and the path to recovery.
The Australian Government, through the Innovation for Indonesia's School Children Program (INOVASI), continues to support the Government of Indonesia in transforming the education ecosystem.
"The Australian government is proud to partner with the Indonesian government at all levels of education. We are committed to supporting the Indonesian government's efforts to ensure that no child is left behind," said Deputy Ambassador Scott.
Between 2021 and 2023, INOVASI, together with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, conducted a series of studies related to the impact of COVID-19 on learning.
The study conducted one year after the pandemic found indications of learning loss. Two years after the pandemic, this study found indications of learning recovery.
The studies found that focusing on the needs of each student significantly contributes to learning recovery. The main methods include diagnostic assessment, differentiated learning and curriculum implementation that emphasises basic literacy and numeracy skills. These strategies align with the key principles of Emancipated Curriculum or Kurikulum Merdeka.
Minister Nadiem said that "gotong royong" or working together is one of the main keys to the success of Merdeka Belajar. Since the early stage, Merdeka Belajar was designed as a movement, so that all levels of society were involved in transforming the education system," explained Minister Nadiem.
Merdeka Belajar's initiatives always involve collaboration between stakeholders, starting from central and regional governments, education units, the general public, families and development partners. “We really appreciate the Australian government’s support through the INOVASI program. This partnership is a concrete form of collaboration to bring about transformation in the education sector," he explained.
INOVASI has been working in Indonesia since 2016 and was designed to improve the quality of primary education, particularly in the areas of literacy, numeracy and inclusion. INOVASI works in four provinces, namely East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and North Kalimantan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, INOVASI collaborated with national and sub-national governments, universities, and communities to promote learning recovery.
The INOVASI program has successfully strengthened the capacity of 53,605 teachers, principals, supervisors, and local facilitators. INOVASI has also benefited 553,048 early-grade students in 7,322 primary schools and madrasahs in Indonesia. Restoring learning and improving long-term education quality requires fundamental changes to the education ecosystem. INOVASI supports the Government of Indonesia in carrying out an education transformation that engages a wide range of actors to accelerate improved student learning outcomes.
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