Private parties needed in promoting e-learning

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/23/2009 10:13 PM

The Government should push the private sector to help schools with limited financial resources to install supporting technology for e-learning, an expert says.

Heru Suhartanto, a professor of computer science from the University of Indonesia, said while the government and some academic institutions had successfully developed the backbones for e-learning programs (such as content, software and network systems), they needed to make sure all schools could adopt and operate their programs.

“For example, it would be difficult for a school without a reliable Internet connection or their own server to run and apply certain e-learning programs,” he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the opening of an Internet workshop for high school teachers of information and communications technology (ICT), on Friday.

“That’s why the participation of third parties, such as industries, is needed urgently to help more schools in Indonesia gain proper internet-based facilities and begin taking advantage of existing e-learning technology.”

Heru also emphasized the importance of maintenance.

“Maybe it would cost only Rp 5 million (US$530) for a school to buy an [Internet] server, but it is almost certain they would have to spend more to pay a skilled IT officer, if they want to make sure their e-learning program was maintained convincingly,” he said.