Nadiem Makarim's Biggest Challenge To Become Minister Is The COVID-19 Pandemic In Today's Memory, July 14, 2021

Nadiem Makarim, who was Minister of Education and Technology for the 2019-2024 era. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, four years ago, July 14, 2021, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek), Nadiem Makarim emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic is his biggest challenge as a minister. The narrative was revealed because its policies became a gamble for the fate of children in the future.

Previously, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. The learning process also made changes. School children are encouraged to learn distance. This condition raises many problems and criticisms.

No one doubts that the COVID-19 pandemic can change social life. The job, which used to have to sit in the office for eight hours, is now replaced by sitting at home for eight hours.

seminars that used to be held in many places began to change. The event can now be done anywhere. They simply access the internet with the help of smart devices. Lately, social changes have occurred in the realm of national education.

The Ministry of Education and Culture (later became the Ministry of Research and Technology) will not have the heart to let schools continue face-to-face. The risk of transmission of the virus from Wuhan is the estuary. This condition makes the government try to make policies carefully.

All because the bet is the existence of the nation's next generation in the future. Distance Education (PJJ) is inflamed. The government considers it a reasonable option. Teachers and students can avoid the corona virus. Parents at home can calm down.

School children can access lessons with technology assistance. Problems arise. Efforts to do PJJ are not easy. Dramas around education with the help of technology have many problems. Internet access in the archipelago is not all uniform.

This condition makes it difficult for areas outside the big city to access lessons. Not to mention that the teaching method is considered ineffective. Something that then makes PJJ so that school children far behind.

"I'm an area that's left behind. There's no signal there. Never mind the internet signal, for calls, SMS is also only a certain place with a signal. I'm very worried that children don't have access to education."

"If I think in my area, children should be subject to school as usual, with the consideration that there is not too red zone. Schools can be implemented with COVID-19 prevention protocols, such as maintaining distance," said the state elementary school teacher in Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan, Oktoriyadi as quoted by the BBC Indonesia website, June 2, 2020.

A series of turmoils made Indonesian education full of problems. Criticism continues to come to the Ministry of Education and Culture. Criticism also reached Nadiem Makarim's ears. The Minister of Education and Culture acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge to be free during his tenure as minister on July 14, 2021.

Nadiem also promised that the COVID-19 pandemic would not be an obstacle that could disrupt the world of developing education. He tries to do everything he can for the world to develop. The pandemic should be able to create a lot of creativity to make national education better.

"Obviously this is the biggest challenge in my life, it's clear. So it's really difficult. Thank God I have an amazing team, I have an amazing family to support so that I can be strong when this storm blows, yes, the storm also takes a long time.

"So for me it is the ability and courage of my team to do what is best for the future of our generation. That's a fixed price for me. Whether it's a pandemic or not, this change should happen. So that's roughly my philosophy," he said as quoted by the COMPASS.com page, July 14, 2021.