TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Communication and Informatics Ministry (Ministry) targeted to carry out digital literacy program on 200 villages spread in remote areas of Indonesia in an effort to promote digital economy initiative.
"The digital economy initiative must also reach villages so thatin 2017, 200 villages can have adequate digital literacy to make an example of," according to Sammy Pangirapan, Director General of Application and Informatics of the Ministry during the opening of the "1,000 Digital Startup National Hackathon" event in Yogyakarta on Sunday, October 23, 2016.
Sammy asserted that digital education program in villages will be carried out in cooperation with several ministries, such as the Villages, Underdeveloped Regions, and Transmigration Ministry, and the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry. The program will be prioritized for villages in remote regions and border areas away from information technology access.
To promote digital literacy in 200 villages, Sammy said that the Ministry will provide trainings on how to operate digital tehnology, in addition to facilitating telecommunication infrastructure procurement under the 'Palapa Ring' project.
"If the Palapa Ring project has been finished, the public must know how to utilize it so it will not be a waste [of resources]," Sammy said.
Sammy said that village people must also reap the benefits of engaging in trade activities through e-commerce. As a result, Sammy said that village people can have greater chances of marketing their products.
"Through digital based business, [village people] can market their agriculture products to the city directly," Sammy said.
ANTARA