The pandemic destroys, overturns many aspects of life. However, on the other hand, the pandemic has also spurred and triggered the creation of many new works, innovations and thoughts. Who would have thought that from Papua, which was long behind in many aspects of life, there could be works that people in the world of education began to glance at.

In March 2020, Fr. Sudrijanta, S.J. was stuck in Jakarta after attending a meeting. He couldn't go straight back to Nabire due to travel restriction. In confinement, with nowhere to go, he began to think about what to do to pass the time. Sukhri, a volunteer who was supposed to start joining in July 2020, was invited to join in Jakarta. Sukhri knew Fr. Sudri when Fr. Sudri served at JRS Aceh. Sukri, a Muslim from Aceh worked with JRS for tsunami response program.

They thought of developing a “people's school”. The concept is that children must still be able to learn even though they are hindered by the pandemic, hindered by internet access. They started to work on a digital library. Its name is Pustaka (Library) Neo-EduTech or abbreviated as PNE 4.0.

Support and donations, funds, facilities and thoughts, slowly flowed in. The leaders of the Jesuit School Alumni Association (AAJI) and several other education activists were involved from the start, also some alumni of Le Cocq College and friends from Papua who were in Jakarta. They often came to the PNE headquarters on Jl. Canadyanti, South Jakarta. Together with them the PNE team discussed a lot, formulated a vision, and looked for strategies so that this PNE could later be realized and distributed in Papua and other areas without internet access.

Finally, after 6 months of hard work all day, an educational wifi device was created. It was capable of distributing digital materials without an internet connection, as many as 50 thousand books and videos, about education ranging from PAUD (pre-elementary) to SMA/SMK (senior high school) and general knowledge.

After successfully creating this educational wifi platform, the team felt the need to do a trial run. It turned out that the Strada Foundation was very interested and felt that this platform was needed in Strada schools on the outskirts of Jakarta and Tangerang. So, the Strada Foundation ordered 10 units. The SJ mission in East Kalimantan has also used 3 units and the Daya Dharma Institute 8 units.

Seeing PNE 4.0's vision to provide educational wifi access services in areas without internet access, PT Primacom officials were very impressed. They then supported the PNE 4.0 program by providing VSat for updating digital materials and providing data compression services. In 6 months since PNE 4.0 was distributed in Papua, 4 VSat points have been installed, namely in Nabire District, Dogiyai District, Deiyai ​​District, and Paniai District. The collaboration between PNE 4.0 and PT Primacom has made a very valuable contribution.

In the period January - July 2021, as many as 110 units of PNE 4.0 Version 1 (mobile version) have been distributed to around 100 schools in 9 districts in Papua (Serui, Nabire, Deiyai, Dogiyai, Paniai, Intan Jaya, Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak). The involvement of the regent, the Education Office and the Principal made it easier to introduce this digital library.

Ways Of Working

This PNE 4.0 educational wifi platform is easy to operate. It does not require installation, just plug and play, plug into the mains and ready to use. No need for data pulses or connection to the internet. It can be accessed anywhere, whether in the middle of a forest, on a remote island, or on the beach, the important thing is that there is electricity, whether it is general electricity, generators or solar cells.

PNE Version 1 can be accessed by 10-15 users at once. Users can stream, download, upload, and chat. This intranet system is very useful for schools that have difficulty accessing the internet. Children or parents/guardians can come to school to download the required materials for free or without data credit. It is very common to find that children in Papua do not have textbooks. With PNE 4.0, they can have an abundance of textbooks and learning videos.

Copyright

The books and videos available in PNE 4.0 are from open source sources, so there are no copyright infringement issues. For example, a textbook from the Ministry of Education, written in a watermark, is downloaded from https://www.kemdikbud.go.id/

Reading Interest

The emergence of PNE 4.0 raises big questions. What's the point of a digital library if children don't have an interest in reading? Waiting for children to have a high interest in reading takes a long time. According to Sugata Mitra, researcher and educator in India, education is a process that goes by itself as long as the child is motivated or has the drive to know and there is the right technology. Sugata carried out this experiment by placing an outdated desktop device with sufficient internet access, on an outer wall in some rural areas of ​​India. Without the help of teachers or adults, at first the children teach each other how to use the desktop, then they access interesting materials. Slowly their reading and thinking skills develop (cf. Sugata Mitra, Kids can teach themselves, Ted.com). Thus it can be concluded that children do not have to be able to read first to be able to use digital devices, and on the contrary digital technology can actually accelerate reading literacy.

Adhi Luhur And Surroundings

Currently, with the help of VSat Primacom, SMA Adhi Luhur can use the internet more smoothly and can access PNE 4.0 digital libraries. The PNE 4.0 network was spread from Wisma SJ (Jesuit House) to 7 points: Kristus Sahabat Kita (Christ Our Companion church) , Girls Dormitory, Boys Dormitory, YPPK Adhi Luhur High School, St. Antonius YPPK Middle School, and St. Peter YPPK Elementary School.

Development

In July 2021 the PNE 4.0 educational wifi platform Version 2 was completed to support the creation of digital schools. Its function is not only to disseminate digital materials without internet, but to facilitate digital-based learning activities.

In July 2021, 2 high schools in Nabire have used PNE 4.0 Version 2 to support digital-based learning activities. A total of more than 300 students in each school and their teachers began to take advantage of the educational wifi platform and the educational materials provided. Without realizing it, the spirit of “save paper” began to creep in.

When the Covid-19 pandemic ends, it is hoped that this digital school will continue. Because the world in the future cannot be separated from digital mastery. Thus schools from now on must familiarize students with skills in using digital technology.

The PNE team has planned to expand the distribution of PNE 4.0 throughout Papua, both Version 1 and Version 2. The size of the area and the difficulty of the terrain did not dampen the spirit of the PNE team. Why? PNE 4.0 tools and content are not only relevant in Papua, but also urgent in various regions. The team met these facts: Papuan children's reading literacy is the lowest, the scarcity of school textbooks for students, the difficulty of accessing the internet in many remote areas, the delay in teaching and learning due to the high absence of teachers in class, and the scarcity of teachers both in terms of quantity and quality. The presence of PNE 4.0 also provides solutions to these problems.

Amazed by this discovery, I am very happy to be able to satisfy my desire to read and broaden my horizons. Moreover, with the development being carried out now, more and more English literature can be accessed. In this enthusiasm I promote and invite Adhi Luhur students to enrich themselves by reading a lot. Sosrokartono, the brother of R.A. Kartini, a woman activist, advised, "The body may be confined, but the mind must be free." The body may be confined by the pandemic, but the creativity must be free to roam."

*By Dismas Tulolo, S.J.