State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir (middle) accompanied by Telkom President Director Ririek Adriansyah (far left) had a chat with students during a visit to fiber optic laboratory that Telkom provided for Al-Ikhwan Integrated Vocational School in Tasikmalaya, Saturday (12/6). Telkom provided the fiber optic laboratory as part of Telkom’s commitment to fostering digital talents in Indonesia.

Tasikmalaya, 12 June 2021 – As Indonesia’s leading telecommunications company, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) remains committed to supporting Indonesian children’s education by maintaining and providing smooth connectivity and encouraging the digitization of teaching and learning in educational institutions, including in frontier, remote, and less developed regions. Telkom materialized this by providing a fiber optic laboratory for Al-Ikhwan Integrated Vocational School in Tasikmalaya. Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir accompanied by Telkom President Director Ririek Adriansyah visited the laboratory to oversee how education digitalization is developing in the region.

During their visit to Al-Ikhwan Integrated Vocational School, SOE Minister Erick Thohir expressed his appreciation for Telkom's presence and commitment to supporting the education system development and to fostering digital talent in Indonesia. According to him, digital transformation in education should be encouraged continuously, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Erick said that the fiber optic laboratory was an effort to produce digital talents from all regions in Indonesia.

Developing a fiber optic laboratory at the Al-Ikhwan Integrated Vocational School is proof of Telkom's commitment to building Indonesia's human resources capacity and competitiveness (HR). It is imperative to improve people’s capabilities and understanding about technology in this digital and industrial revolution 4.0 era. Therefore, having a fiber optic laboratory is important to prepare human resources that meet the industry needs now and in the future.

In addition to donating a fiber optic laboratory, Telkom also assisted the school by providing educational facilities such as Fiber to The Home (FTTH) materials, optical measuring instruments, and optical connection devices for the school.

On the same occasion, the SOE Minister also saw community training on healthy lifestyle to curb the spread of the COVID-19 which Al-Ikhwan Integrated Vocational School organized using connectivity such as Mangoesky.

“Internet is the key. By having an internet connection, every village can discover its own economic strength. Let’s build our villages. With the internet, it’s possible,” Erick said in his remarks to the villagers in frontier, remote, and less developed regions via video conference. He also called on the society to continue adhering to health protocol as the pandemic is far from over, and encouraged them to get vaccinated. 

In the first quarter of 2021, Telkom has disbursed educational facilities assistance including computer sets worth of Rp1 billion to 33 educational institutions in West Java. 

Telkom’s involvement in improving the community’s quality living standards is more than just providing the education sector’s supporting infrastructure. Telkom has also been conducting training and mentoring for the community. The company is also active in providing assistance to people living in the frontier, remote, and  less developed regions. 

From January to March 2021, Telkom has helped to provide adequate internet access for 63 villages in the remote, frontier and less developed parts of West Java. The internet access provision amounts to Rp1.5 billion in value, disbursed in provision of fiber optic technology for 30 villages, and satellite-based broadband internet, Mangoesky, in 33 villages.

“We provide Mangoesky to ensure equal opportunities for people to access adequate internet services wherever they are. Digitization or the use of communication technology is not only for urban communities. We are committed to continuing to develop the network’s quality and speed for the community, so that more people can go digital, go modern, and go global," said Ririek Adriansyah, Telkom President Director. 

On the same day, Telkom also donated Braille computers for Aisyiah School for the Disabled (SLB) for students and teachers, and tablet devices installed with the i-CHAT (I Can Hear And Talk) application. The application is a tool for the Deaf to facilitate communication that Telkom has developed since 2010.

In addition, Telkom donated to SLB Aisyah a number of devices, including laptops already installed with a screen reader application called JAWS, teaching aids to train motor skills, and a playmate. The various support that Telkom provided reflects the company's commitment to help digitize education for people with disabilities.  Nationwide, Telkom provides Rp1.06 billion in aid funds to support people with disabilities’ empowerment and independence through the digitization of educational facilities.

"To materialize the company's target to become the most preferred digital telco company in Indonesia, Telkom will consistently provide various platforms, services, and facilities that can support the community activities digitization in any sector. Telkom's assistance to help digitize education will not stop here. We will continue to develop products and services so that Indonesian students would know, understand, and are prepared as skilled human resources that meet the digital industry needs now,” Ririek said. 

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