Jakarta, 9 February, 2022
– The theme for Indonesia's G20 Presidency this year is "Recover Together, Recover Stronger". The theme is inspired by one of Indonesia's fundamental values which has evolved into a culture namely gotong royong (mutual cooperation). Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim said, the COVID-19 pandemic has made us increasingly aware of the value of mutual cooperation, which can help us recover and rise together.
The Minister of Education and Culture also invited all parties to work together to recover and rise together following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to contribute to the success of Indonesia's G20 Presidency. "With the spirit to recover and rise together, I would like to invite everyone to strengthen mutual cooperation so that we can succeed in Indonesia's G20 presidency, and realize Freedom to Learn, Freedom to Practice the Culture," Minister Nadiem said at the "G20 Kick-Off on Education and Culture" in Jakarta on February 9.
On the same occasion, Iwan Syahril, the Director-General of Teachers and Education Personnel of the Ministry of Education and Culture, spoke on behalf of the G20 Education Working Group, saying that the G20 countries must work together to help the world overcome inequality in access to quality education in post-COVID-19 recovery.
Indonesia will address four priority education agendas in the G20 Education Working Group (EdWG), according to Iwan. Solidarity and Partnership is one of these agendas that is strongly tied to Indonesian gotong royong culture.
"This agenda is connected to the Indonesian nation's cultural wisdom, namely mutual cooperation, as stated by the Minister of Education and Technology. We want to use our country's cultural wisdom to help us reimagine the future. We believe that the only way to move forward and tackle global education problems is by supporting and collaborating with one another," Iwan stated.
The other three priority agendas are Universal Quality Education, Digital Technologies in Education, and the Future of Work Post COVID-19.
Iwan explained that "the Universal Quality Education agenda departs from the challenge of encouraging equal access and quality of education at all levels, especially for vulnerable groups in post-COVID-19 recovery," adding that this agenda is also a form of affirmation of Indonesia's commitment to realizing quality education for all, in line with the 4th Sustainable Development Goal.
"The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology wants to sharpen discussions and solutions on how digital technology may be the answer to problems of access, quality, and social justice in education," Iwan said of the next priority agenda, Digital Technologies in Education.
Regarding the Future of Work Post COVID-19 agenda, the Ministry of Education and Culture believes that the needs of the world of work following the COVID-19 pandemic are changing. "The world must rethink how education might respond to the world's challenges in the future," Iwan stated.
Indonesia's G20 Presidency is significant because Indonesia is holding the leadership relay in a cooperation forum of 19 countries and the European Union, therefore the Ministry of Education and Culture invites all parties to collaborate and strengthen each other to recover together after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During this presidency, Indonesia will demonstrate how the gotong royong culture may inspire the globe to recover from the pandemic together, move forward, and rebuild a better world." Let us work together, especially in tackling connected priority issues," Iwan Syahril stated.***
