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  • UNICEF and Tanoto Foundation Discuss Supporting Vulnerable Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic

    UNICEF and Tanoto Foundation Discuss Supporting Vulnerable Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic

    As the devastating impacts of COVID-19 unfold across the world, existing inequalities have been exacerbated. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, creating an urgent need for collaboration and innovation to ensure the most disadvantaged are not left behind.

    Belinda Tanoto, a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981 also a UNICEF partner organisation in Indonesia, joined Henrietta Fore, Executive Director at UNICEF, the United Nations agency responsible for supporting children’s rights across the world, in a recent webcast titled “New Virus, Old Inequalities” to discuss the risks the global pandemic poses to young children. Moderated by J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Head of The Philanthropy Centre for Asia Jean Sung, the two respected leaders addressed the key challenges facing children and adolescents in the wake of the global pandemic, namely healthcare and education, and the need for nation-wide collaborations to overcome these challenges.

    COVID-19 Pandemic Disruptions Impact Access To Healthcare

    Ms Henrietta Fore said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused further delays in the immunisation of children, and impaired access to clean water and health services. These are not helped by the lack of awareness in parents and the community on the importance of these health and medical care essentials.

    The pandemic also poses many worrying challenges to Indonesia’s efforts in stunting mitigation and basic education. Ms Belinda Tanoto shared in the panel discussion that the pandemic has affected poverty alleviation efforts, supply chains, as well as access to essential services to help children thrive. She said, “Community clinics are suspended and frontline workers are interrupted… It’s more important than ever that philanthropists and non-profits step up their activity.”

    Sharing from the Tanoto Foundation’s perspective, Ms Tanoto said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Foundation to deviate from the “normal” way of doing things, it has also allowed the Foundation to think out of the box and “build back better”. This includes supporting the ramped up use of technologies across schools and communities.

    Ms Tanoto cautioned that while many are now dealing with the shorter-term implications of the pandemic, we should not lose sight on the longer-term issues. This applies to increasing the vaccination rate and safeguarding the supply chain.

    Social Distancing Heightens Need for Technology Adoption For Blended Learning

    The panel agreed that the use of technology has been intensified to help the next generation thrive in the fourth industrial revolution. Ms Fore added that while many education systems around the world have not changed in the last 40 to 50 years, the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of new technologies.

    Ms Tanoto said that while the Tanoto Foundation believes in technology as an enabler of learning, there still exist challenges on the ground in transforming current pedagogies to fully embrace and consistently implement blended learning. Blended learning is a form of education that involves the use of electronic and online media to accompany traditional face-to-face learning. The pandemic-influenced circumstances have allowed the Tanoto Foundation to accelerate the move towards blended learning, thereby extending learning time and opportunities for children.

    Sharing insights into the Tanoto Foundation’s engagement with teachers, Ms Tanoto shared that many of them merely used social media and instant messaging to disseminate homework – an indication students were still learning passively. However, with appropriate training through programmes such as Ruang Guru and the Tanoto Foundation’s flagship PINTAR program, school administrators and educators will be better placed to nurture the various literacies in students so they may meet the demands of the fourth industrial revolution.

    Collaborations To Support Nationwide Efforts

    The discussion also touched on the importance of public-private collaboration to achieve impact at scale. In basic education, the Tanoto Foundation seeks to implement the best practices in pre-service training at scale. It is working with the Indonesian government to do so and will be assisting with nationwide implementation in a self-funded effort.

    To tackle stunting, Ms Tanoto stated it was important to invest in the first 1,000 days of life – from conception to 2 years of age. Tanoto Foundation is working with UNICEF to reach 24 million “1,000-day households” across Indonesia – an endeavour Ms Tanoto said would require a sophisticated nationwide coordination effort.

    Indonesia is among the five countries in the world with the highest number of stunting cases. While the country reduced its prevalence of stunting from 37.2 percent in 2013 to 27.7 percent in 2019, more than one in four children are stunted and unable to realise their full potential.

    “The government has the most resources to tackle the issue (of improving governance, accountability and scaling up implementation). For stunting, the Indonesian government pledged to invest 15 billion dollars over four years for over 500 districts. No foundation is able to match that. Having worked with the government, we learned there are many things on which we are aligned,” said Ms Tanoto during the panel discussion.

    There are three key points to note when working with the government, Ms Tanoto said: The first, hard evidence, robust monitoring and evaluation; second, soft influence, which is achieved through the implementation of programmes in early-adopter district governments and earning quick wins that are replicable for other districts; and third, lobbying and legislation, in which positive changes are institutionalised and sustained through fruitful partnerships.

    However, hurdles remain. Only one in three children in Indonesia have access to computers. This is why as part of the Tanoto Foundation’s drive to help develop key strategies in elevating Indonesia’s global education ranking, the Foundation is working very closely with stakeholders such as the ministry, district governments, school administrators and teachers to speed up programmes such as adoption of technologies for learning.

    “The pandemic has made a challenging situation more difficult,” Ms Tanoto concluded. “It is estimated that 1.5 to 8 million people will fall below the poverty line as a result of the pandemic, reversing a decade of progress. In addition to focusing on the shorter term consequences, we need to look at the longer-term impact. The time to act is now – we can’t wait. We want to encourage philanthropists to continue what they’re doing today, but to be ready to support disadvantaged children and communities who will also need our support far into the future.”

    To view the webcast, please go to this link: https://privatebank.jpmorgan.com/gl/en/insights/giving/supporting-children-and-adolescents-during-a-global-pandemic-with-unicef

    Learning in the safety of the classroom

    Ko Zin Thet

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  • Adapting to the Future of Learning

    Adapting to the Future of Learning

    The Covid-19 pandemic has caused tremendous impact on all aspects of human life, including on education. The way that classes are taught, learning methods, education infrastructure and curriculums have all had to change and adapt to facilitate distance learning, and to allow for education to go on.

    In Indonesia, the government has made distance learning a national policy as a response to the pandemic. Until it is over, students of all school levels across the country will continue to attend classes online from their homes.

    Yet, there is a high possibility that distance learning remains the face of education in Indonesia, even well after this pandemic. Nadiem Makarim, Minister of Education and Culture, has consistently expressed that the use of technology in teaching and learning activities will be fundamental in future education.

    However, the use of technology is only part of the equation when it comes to ensuring a holistic and quality learning experience for students. Human resources – namely, teachers – also have to adapt to the changing teaching circumstances as quickly and effectively as possible. If distance learning is to persist as a permanent form of education, teachers will have to adapt via proper training, and also devise new and creative ways of teaching and learning.

    Early projections for changing education 

    In 2014, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an international initiative aimed at transforming education through innovation, conducted a survey related to the projected success of schools in 2030. 93 percent of education experts surveyed said they supported schools that implement innovative methods based on new teaching approaches and creative processes.

    The WISE education experts predict that these schools will develop into a learning network. Resources and technology will support peer-to-peer networks, dialogue and information exchange, and facilitate movement towards collaborative learning.

    The survey also found that 43 percent of respondents believe that learning content will be dominated by online platforms. Meanwhile, only 29 percent of respondents thought that traditional schools would remain the main source of knowledge.

    The results of this survey – which was conducted long before the pandemic – reinforces the notion that the future of education will be very much technology-driven.

    Indonesia’s 2013 curriculum

    In 2013, a new curriculum was implemented as part of the national Indonesian education system. This new curriculum mandates that the role of teachers in implementing 21st century learning methods and HOTS (High Order Thinking Skills) must be optimised. In other words, teachers are encouraged to be innovative and creative with their teaching methods and processes.

    The core of 21st century learning focuses on the use of information technology in the teaching and learning process, with the aim of accelerating development of students’ thinking and learning skills. The 21st century learning concept also shifts the traditional teacher-centred learning approach to being one which is student-centred.

    In this way, it is hoped that students will gain skills, including problem-solving, creative thinking, collaboration and communication skills, which will serve them well as part of a future workforce in the 21st century.

    Teacher competence is key

    There is no doubt that teachers play a key role in spearheading and implementing new ways of learning in the 21st century.

    However, recent Teacher Competency Assessments (tests that measure teachers’ pedagogy levels and basic competencies in subject areas) show that the teaching capabilities of Indonesian teachers are still below expected standards.

    As a direct response, the Indonesian government took the initiative of launching the Teacher, Principal, and Supervisor Learning Program in 2016. The main aim of this program is to encourage teachers to continuously learn, develop and improve their skills, through classes and trainings held online or in person.

    How Tanoto Foundation supports education in Indonesia

    Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981 which focuses on education, has carried out various initiatives which deal with education issues in Indonesia since 2010.

    Our PINTAR program was established to support teachers and school principals in developing creative and innovative teaching and learning methods. It also aims to improve school management and leadership, increase the capacity of local governments in disseminating effective learning models, and strengthen Teacher Training Institutes in the country to provide the best education experience for prospective teachers.

    At the moment, PINTAR has a presence in 20 districts and cities in five provinces: North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Central Java and East Kalimantan.

    Ko Zin Thet

  • Supporting Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic with UNICEF

    Supporting Children and Adolescents During a Global Pandemic with UNICEF

    As the devastating impacts of COVID-19 unfold across the globe, existing inequalities have been exacerbated. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, creating an urgent need for collaboration and innovation to ensure the most disadvantaged are not left behind.

    Henrietta Fore is Executive Director at UNICEF, the United Nations agency responsible for supporting children’s rights across the world. Belinda Tanoto is a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981 also a UNICEF partner organisation in Indonesia. They spoke with J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Head of The Philanthropy Centre for Asia, Jean Sung, about four key challenges facing children and adolescents during the crisis, and international efforts to combat them.

    Read more about the webinar here.

    Ko Zin Thet