TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, on Saturday, claimed that six strategic programs carried out by the ministry are effective in accelerating national digital transformation.

The programs are the provision of cellular infrastructure in the disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas, 4G cellular network in non-3T areas, the Digital Talent Scholarship (DTS), digital literacy programs, facilitation for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) actors, and assistance for startup businesses.

The minister noted in his statement that the provision of cellular telecommunications infrastructure in the 3T areas contributed 0.9 percent to economic growth in villages.

Meanwhile, the 4G cellular network facilities in non-3T areas contributed 2.6 percent to the villages' economic growth and around 11.6 percent in villages on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali.

At the "Digital Leaders Meeting" in Bogor District, West Java, on Friday evening (February 17), Minister Setiadi remarked that the impact of the ministry's programs was analyzed by the research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (UI).

The analysis found good improvement in various lines due to the provision of telecommunication networks wherein high school students achieved higher scores after having access to the internet.

"The availability of internet access resulted in an increase in the average score in the national examination among high school science and social studies students," Setiadi remarked.

After having access to the internet, the national exam average score of high school students who majored in science reached 9.70 percent and social study major students at 9.66 percent.

Furthermore, the study found that the Digital Talent Scholarship program has increased the level of digital literacy by 1.4 percent to 1.8 percent.

ANTARA

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