The Ministry Of Communication And Information Launches Gernas Digital Literacy Targeting 12.4 Million Citizens

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kemkominfo) launched a Digital Literacy National Movement (Gernas) targeting as many as 12.4 million people in Indonesia with a working time of the next 8 months.

Reported by Antara, Saturday, April 17, Gernas Digital Literacy was marked by the launch of four digital literacy curricula, namely Digital Media Culture, Safe Digital Media, Ethical Digital Media and Competent Digital Media which will be distributed to 34 provinces in Indonesia.

"Because it involves 12.4 million people, it will be carried out in more than 20,000 activities," said the Minister of Communication and Informatics (Menkominfo) Johnny G. Plate.

Johnny hopes that the Gernas Digital Literacy program can continue to be encouraged in the future so that the Indonesian people can be digitally literate.

The launch of the four pillars of the curriculum and the Digital Literacy Module was held in Surabaya, East Java and was attended by the Governor of East Java Province Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

The National Digital Literacy Movement will share skills in recognizing the dynamics of the digital era, which is an absolute must for the public to know so that they can use the moments of the digital era properly and optimally.

As many as 20,000 activities for the promotion of the four pillars of the curriculum and digital literacy module are the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Communication and Information, local governments, the National Cyber ​​Creative Literacy Movement to 110 institutions and community organizations.

Johnny stated that the need for reliable human resources in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is currently very urgent to be pursued massively, collaboratively, and sustainably.

World Bank data shows that Indonesia is experiencing a digital talent gap, where we need 9 million digital talents in 15 years; or an average of 600,000 digital talents each year.

Realizing the huge need for Indonesia's digital talent, the Ministry of Communication and Information uses a comprehensive approach that includes 3 (three) levels of digital proficiency.

At the advanced level, the Digital Leadership Academy (DLA) program was initiated to increase the capacity of digital decision makers in both the public and private sectors, "said Johnny.

Furthermore, this program is aimed at 300 leaders and is carried out online by partnering with global digital ecosystem development centers in China, India, Singapore, Estonia, the United States, and so on.

"At the intermediate digital skill level, the Digital Talent Scholarship (DTS) program is also held to provide technical training for the young workforce, new graduates, professionals, and other elements of society. This program teaches various digital age skills such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital entrepreneurship, digital communication, and so on. In 2021, we will provide 100,000 DTS scholarships for the Indonesian people with themes like those before, "Johnny concluded.