Sulawesi’s Sinjai region leads the way in connected education

The Regent of Sinjai has grand plans for his province on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi – and they start with an ambitious digital transformation program in the education sector.

Technology helps create opportunities for everyone

In September 2019, the Microsoft Indonesia team met with the Regent to discuss how the company could help him deliver an ambitious digital transformation plan. This resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by the Regional Office of Education (ROE) of Sinjai and Microsoft.
The project kicked off in February 2020 with the deployment of digital IDs and Microsoft Office 365 A1, a specific version for education that is available at no cost for eligible institutions with free tools to get started.

Four local teachers who were trained in the solution became evangelists. They shared their belief that it would revolutionize education in the province for its 45,000 students in 658 schools, from kindergarten to high school. 

Launching a train-the-trainer program, more than 500 teachers initially signed up. But there were some serious challenges ahead, and without the commitment of the Regent and the ROE, these challenges would have caused the project to grind to a halt.

As with any transformation, there were challenges that needed to be overcome with the project. Firstly,  there were teachers who were enthusiastic and others who were resistant to change. The teams needed to show the benefit of the new digital system and encouraged the teachers to approach the change with a growth mindset. Secondly, Sinjai is not only remote but also geographically spread out, spanning mountains on one side and a group of islands on the other. This proved to be a significant challenge to maintaining consistent network and internet coverage.

Adding to the complexity, when the project was just beginning, the global pandemic hit. Sinjai’s education department could have just given up at this stage and stopped face-to-face learning altogether.

A solution for the future

Andi Jefrianto Asapa, Head of Sinjai ROE explained that when it came to changing mindset it was important to motivate the teachers to look to the future.
“We first mapped the teacher's digital skills. Only about 20 percent were interested in using the latest technology,” he explained. “So, we had to find a way to get them engaged. We did this by implementing a new policy that mandated all educational establishments to complete ROE administration requirements digitally, not manually.”
The ROE then provided the teachers with the Microsoft Office 365 for education. The four master trainers ensured all teachers received training on how to use the technology for teaching and learning. A key part of the program was encouraging the teachers think about the the future, the students would be graduating in to and the need to ensure they were equipping the students with the best education to thrive in a digital world. 

To fix the network issues, the Regent made available synergy in managing Operational Aid to School Program (Bantuan Operasional Sekolah / BOS) funds from the Indonesian Government to deliver a solution. In addition, internet problems were resolved through the collaboration of the different stakeholders.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, instead of shutting things down, the ROE accelerated the teacher digital training initiative, enabled remote learning for students, and introduced creative teaching solutions to keep everyone engaged in the difficult time.

Rifyal Mukarram, an ex-teacher and Teachers Division Head of Sinjai ROE explained: “It was a massive process. Starting with our team of four trainers, we expanded the Microsoft Office 365 courses to 1,400 supervising teachers, principals and pupils.” 

The solution provided simple, highly secure access to online classrooms for students of all ages, while relying on Microsoft Teams for collaboration and to deliver a familiar, easy-to-use remote learning experience. 

According to Rifyal Mukarram, the teachers set up mini studios throughout their schools and recorded their own lessons using mobile phones. They used different media channels to extend the reach from TV to YouTube.

Teachers used Microsoft  to create engaging game-based learning experiences. Moreover, students were given the freedom to design their own learning methods. They turned to Minecraft Education Edition (the education edition was released in 2016) to enable remote learning. Using the hugely popular tool for learning as their digital learning space, the virtual platform connected students, while increasing problem solving and collaboration. One of the use cases for Minecraft was to help students with mathematics.
“If we didn’t have Microsoft education solutions, Sinjai would have been like other districts where the learning process, and face-to-face teaching, would have stopped. It allowed us to face the pandemic without any problems and deliver an impressive learning experience for our students.”

He went on to say: “Our experience with Microsoft has been great. The company’s contribution to education in Sinjai has been huge, especially during the pandemic. Microsoft’s support made it possible for Sinjai to start our digital transformation process.” 

Hybrid education model here to stay

Later, when it was clear that Sinjai wasn’t badly affected by the spread of COVID-19, the province continued to use a hybrid model for their schools that mixed interactive online learning with some face-to-face classes.

According to Andi Jefrianto Asapa, Sinjai province is now leading the way when it comes to interactive learning. “Post-pandemic, we won’t go back to the old way of studying. Our hybrid model is here to stay. In fact, we are so proud of our success, we are offering to mentor other regions who want to transform like us.”
“We have 26 Sinjai volunteer teachers who are happy to share their knowledge. We are keen to collaborate and demonstrate how innovation can dramatically transform and improve education. We also want to connect with other teachers, students and schools across the world.”