Library Transformation Program Based on Social Inclusion/TPBIS; Enriching Intellectual Diplomacy In International Fora
Personal Views of Moehammad Amar Ma’ruf, Career Diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
The Fourth Paragraph of 1945 Indonesia Constitution Preambule clearly states that the State of the Republic of Indonesia shall protect the whole Indonesian nation and the entire native land of Indonesia, and to advance public welfare, to educate the life of the nation, and to participate in the execution of world order which is by virtue of freedom, perpetual peace and social justice.
The above text that Indonesia founding fathers have laid down have become a very basic integrated principles for any progressive movement to upgrade the quality of Indonesian peoples in national, regional and internatonal fora, especially to eradicate illiteracy in Indonesia and in the world. Our founding fathers realize that the access to have ability to read and education is a part of the Basic Rights that must be owned by Indonesian and world citizen and it must be provided by the State without neglecting the role of others stakeholders participation.
It is happy to note that illiterate rate in Indonesia has reduced significantly from period of independence until today. It is significantly recorded in the Indonesian Statistical Body Report that from the period of 1945 or the beginning of independence until 2022, that the percentage of illiterate in Indonesia down from 97 % from the total of population in 1945 to 3,65 % in 2022.
While Indonesia is quite happy to see this national achievement, Indonesia still feels sad to observe that other countries situation, especially in the developing and under developing countries. Therefore Indonesia has been called to participate in reducing this unhappy situation. It is become an intellectual obligation or even moral obligation to eradicate the backwardness of peoples by giving and sharing the best practices to other countries that may have good impact to their society based on Indonesia capacity.
The world illiteracy is still becoming homework to eradicate. UNESCO itself in its website in 2023 mentions that 771 million young people and adults still cannot read and write while Literacy drives sustainable development, enables greater participation in the labour market, improves child and family health and nutrition, reduces poverty and expands life opportunities.
UNESCO’s approach to literacy continues to evolve as the definition of what it means to be literate changes in an increasingly digitalized world. This illiteracy rate seems to have increased comparing the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the worst disruption to education in a century, 617 million children and teenagers had not reached minimum reading levels. Such conditions will automatically affect the level of human development capacity and the nation itself in dealing with world developments.
One technical approach that being initiated by Indonesian National Library by organizing and giving an inclusive program such as the establishment of Library Transformation Program based on Social Inclusion Library/TPBIS meanwhile the other technical Ministries program and approaches are also encouraging by providing the education facilities.
These approaches have given a collaborated strength for Indonesia Technical Institutions to showcase for their fellow country men and to other nationals in regional or international fora by showing integrated creativities and capacity by empowering peoples/professional through sharing and caring among world societies, exchanging public recording and documenting, promoting local wisdom, helping disable with creative work and even enlarging format of source of reference from conventional into other digital ways as a multisource of reference in appreciating their society in all field and sectors of life.
It is quite enlightening that the TPBIS programs keeps moving on and actively be taught among local, regional and even in international Organization Fora to create opportunities and a new source technical, economy and excellence collaboration for world citizen or participants that may have good mutual impact not only for their individual life but also to social life/surrounding. TPBIS is a very strategic but humble and smart approach that enrich Intellectual Diplomacy done by Indonesia stakeholders (inter ministries: Indonesian National Library, Indonesia State Secretariat Ministry, Ministry foreign Affairs and its Mission Abroad and even by individual) in collaboratively promoting and disseminating to international community. To appreciate this, let the writer also share one individual link of appreciation made by one of the Indonesia University Student. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lIXSKyv0_sXuP3Ju1pNy5IxELfyfOkyq?usp=share_link
At least this appreciation becomes a light from the East to the world that now are still facing a tremendous challenging situation due to War against humanity. This appreciation is an integral part of intellectual approach and diplomacy that based on participation all element that hopefully create inclusive response and impact to the value of humanity and mutual respect for all element of society in the world.
Last but not the least, hopefully this TPBIS always inspires and becomes a moderate cure amidst the uncertain world situation happened during our life.
May Allah azza wa Jalla guide us to good direction. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
