JAYAPURA, PAPUA – In an effort to improve basic literacy levels in Papua Province, the Papua Provincial Government together with Wahana Visi Indonesia with support from the United States Agency For International Development Collaboration program, launched the Papua Province Basic Literacy Acculturation Roadmap 2025 – 2029. This strategic document is expected to help local governments to integrate literacy programs into local planning and budgeting, which in turn will contribute significantly to the achievement of the Papua Development Acceleration Master Plan 2022-2041.
At the launch event held at the Aston Jayapura Hotel, the Acting Governor of Papua, Ramses Limbong, underscored the urgency of improving literacy in Papua as part of a long-term effort to build educational capacity in the region, “Literacy culture in Papua Province is a very urgent priority,” Ramses said.
The National Community Literacy Development Index stands at 69.42, while Papua Province stands at 47.57, which falls into the low category and this position places Papua among the four lowest regions in Indonesia, after Papua Mountains, Central Papua, and South Papua, “The preparation of this Basic Literacy Acculturation Roadmap is a manifestation of the government’s commitment to overcome existing literacy challenges, in collaboration with development partners and all elements of society,” he said.
The National Community Literacy Development Index is at 69.42, while Papua Province is at an index of 47.57, which falls into the low category and this position places Papua among the four lowest regions in Indonesia, after Papua Mountains, Central Papua, and South Papua, “The preparation of this Basic Literacy Acculturation Roadmap is a manifestation of the government’s commitment to overcome existing literacy challenges, in collaboration with development partners and all elements of society,” he said.
This Literacy Acculturation Roadmap will serve as a strategic guide in addressing literacy issues that have long been a major challenge in Papua and which include not only the low quality of literacy in the community, but also other factors such as geographical inaccessibility, economic constraints, and inequality in access to quality education.
This Roadmap was prepared by considering the Papua Development Acceleration Master Plan 2022 – 2041 which is the main framework for accelerating development in Papua in various sectors, including education and one of the main objectives of the Papua Development Acceleration Master Plan is to create a smart Papuan society, through social transformation based on quality and equitable education.
Ramses Limbong explained that the roadmap includes several key strategies to overcome literacy challenges in Papua, “These strategies include strengthening the capacity of teachers and literacy facilitators through continuous training, developing contextual literacy materials, implementing a community-based approach that prioritizes mother tongue as the initial learning medium,” Ramses said.
Ramses also emphasized the importance of collaboration from various parties to achieve significant change, “We realize that to achieve significant and sustainable change, it is impossible to rely on just one party and collaboration is needed between:
- Government,
- Educational Institutions,
- Local Communities,
- Non-governmental organizations,
- International development partners who have concern for the future of Papua,” he said.
On the occasion, Director of Primary Schools of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Muhammad Hasbi also expressed his support for the launch of the Roadmap for Acculturating Basic Literacy, “The central government strongly supports the efforts of the Papua Provincial Government in strengthening basic literacy in the region,” said Muhammad Hasbi. Muhammad Hasbi’s commitment is very strong and Hasbi wants to continue to ensure that all children in Papua have access to equal, quality education that meets local cultural and geographical needs.
Hasbi also highlighted the importance of using a community-based approach that prioritizes mother tongue in the literacy learning process, “We believe that learning based on mother tongue will make it easier for children to understand and absorb the information provided. This is very relevant to the conditions in Papua, where there is so much diversity of local languages and cultures that we must respect and integrate in the education system,” Hasbi said.