Heaptalk, Jakarta – Enuma, Inc., holds a cross-sector collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT), and literacy activists to held an event “literacy for 10 million Indonesian Children”. This event is aimed to provide early literacy to support Indonesia’s Golden Generation to be successful.
In addition, enabling access to high-quality literacy for all children is critical to building competitive human resources and to achieving Indonesia’s Vision 2045. Currently, there are approximately 24 million children aged 5–9 who will reach productive age and become the driving force of Indonesia’s growth in two decades.
“Every child, including those with special needs, has the right to access high-quality literacy and education from the start. The Sekolah Enuma: Bahasa Indonesia mobile app we launched today is the result of eight years of cumulative work and helps children to learn independently using digital tools,” said the CEO of Enuma, Inc., Sooinn Lee.
This free app provides learning content equal to two years of use, offering materials carefully created based on the national curriculum, Pancasila values (Indonesia’s national ideology), cultural diversity, and local context. The development involved over 60 Indonesian professionals, including educators, curriculum specialists, storytellers, illustrators, and actors.
“We hope Sekolah Enuma: Bahasa Indonesia is well-received and able to reach over 10 million Indonesian children, or even more. This educational game is available for free and will always be free, with no ads. Through partnerships with community leaders, foundations, CSRs, and other stakeholders, we trust all Indonesian families will benefit from this app,” said Representative of Enuma Indonesia, Mr. Juli Adrian.
The Importance of Collaboration
Currently, the government strives to increase the minimum literacy competency rate from 53.20 percent in 2019 to 61.20 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, the Early Childhood Education and Development (PAUD) participation rate continues to improve from 30.85 percent in 2020 and is targeted to reach 32.28 percent in 2024. Collaboration from multiple stakeholders is necessary to achieve these goals.
“Introducing literacy from an early age has a significant impact on children’s growth, supporting them to be more competitive, intelligent, and empathetic. Sekolah Enuma: Bahasa Indonesia presents an opportunity to fill the gap for children who have lost learning opportunities. The app can also help strengthen literacy activities across the country and prepare the Golden Generation of 2045,” explained PAUD Director at the MoECRT, Mr. Muhammad Hasbi.
Head of the Center for Language and Literature Development at the MoECRT, Mr. Abdul Khak, added, “We believe that improving the quality of literacy is a shared responsibility and we have been working together with communities, businesses, and families to implement the National Literacy Movement (GLN) program for the past five years. Supporting initiatives from the private sector and other actors is critical to help us reach our national development goals.”
Indonesia’s Reading Ambassador, Mr. Heri Hendrayana Haris (Gol A Gong), said he believes that parents have pivotal roles in nurturing children’s interest in literacy from an early age.
“Childhood is the right time to cultivate reading habits, but first, parents should provide reading access at home. This mobile app could be an excellent entry point because it looks genuinely like a game. Then, parents can start adding magazines, short stories, fairy tales, or anything that positively stimulates a child’s imagination,” said Mr. Haris.
Head of the Task Force for the School Literacy Movement, Ms. Sofie Dewayani emphasized that compelling storytelling is needed to grow the love of reading books.
“Teachers can cultivate children’s interest in reading by encouraging them to read stories for 15 minutes before starting the lesson. At school, teachers could use relevant materials, like storytelling books. This app could be an inspiration for teachers in terms of using stories and games for fun learning,” said Ms. Dewayani.
The Coordinator on Early Child Education’s Assessment at MoECRT, Ms. Lestari Koesoemawardani, also supported the strategy to improve interests in reading using the learning-by-playing method.
“Sekolah Enuma: Bahasa Indonesia, accessible offline, provides an alternative learning method for children, especially those who are 5–9 years old, to start familiarizing themselves with the alphabet and reading. The learning material will trigger children to have more understanding of basic literacy,” said Lestari.
