The G20 EdWG 2022 First Meeting is Expected to Expand Access to Quality Education

Jakarta, InfoPublik – Iwan Syahril, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology’s Director General of Teachers and Education Personnel in his capacity as Chair of the G20 Education of Working Group (EdWG) 2022, presented the agenda for the first EdWG meeting, which is expected to strengthen commitment from all G20 member countries to work together in expanding public access to quality education for all.

"In terms of education, the pandemic's most serious effect is learning loss. Therefore, we must work together to overcome these negative impacts. Furthermore, we would like to compile a report containing best practices from various G20 countries, such as Africa, Europe, Asia, America, and Australia. This report is intended to serve as an inspiration to the rest of the world on how to recover from the pandemic, particularly in the education sector," Iwan Syahril said in a statement released by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Jakarta on Wednesday, March 16.

Iwan Syahril, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, March 15, said that to actualize this aim, Indonesia was inspired by a number of parties, both domestically and globally, including international institutions, to propose an agenda at the first G20 EdWG 2022 meeting.

In the domestic context, Indonesia brought breakthroughs from the very transformative Freedom to Learn (Merdeka Belajar) program, such as the Merdeka Campus initiative and the expansion of the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) scholarship program. In a global setting, Indonesia is in dialogue with several international institutions to address major educational issues and problems.

Indonesia invites all members of the G20 countries and organizations involved to discuss not only between countries, but also between working groups/engagement groups such as B20, Y20, and Think20, through the agenda for the G20 EdWG 2022 meeting. Indonesia, on the other hand, aims to strengthen the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation) as an inspiration for collaborative recovery around the world.

"As a leader in the working group meeting that will discuss the four priority agendas, we aim to find the best answer to the current global education issues." We also hope that the G20 countries will be able to transform this dialogue into applicable policies and programs in their own countries," Iwan said.

Photo: Kemendikbudristek

Reporter: G. Suranto