Podcast Transcript: Low Literacy in Indonesia

Alifah: Welcome, everyone, to another episode of "Learning Spectrum". I'm your host, Nur
Alifah, and my co-host, Nurwanda Rizkirana. Today we are going to discuss The Low
Literation in Indonesia. Today's discussion will be accompanied by some people who are
involved in the realm of education.
Wanda: That's right, Alifah. Today we have invited two students from the education
department of Lambung Mangkurat University. They will share their views on the level of
literacy in their campus and social environment.
Alifah: And we have also invited an education expert who will give us her perspectives on
the literacy rate in Indonesia as well as explain about the impact and factors that can affect
the literacy rate. Without further ado, let's welcome our first guest today. Please welcome.

Host dan Co-Host tepuk tangan

Alifah: Good morning!
Rabiatul: Morning!
Natasya: Good morning!
Nurwanda: They are the students from education department of Lambung Mangkurat
University. Please introduce yourselves to the audience.
Rabiatul: Hello! My name is Rabiatul Adawiyah, one of the students from the English
Language and Education Study Program.
Natasya: Hello! My name is Natasya Permata Puteri, one of the students from the Indonesian
Language and Literature Study Program.
Alifah: What semester are you in?
Rabiatul: I am in the 5th semester right now.
Natasya: I am in the 7th semester.
Alifah: 7th semester?! It's a difficult time because you have to prepare your thesis.
Natasya: That's right. I have been preparing my thesis.
Wanda: In the midst of your busy lives as college students, why are you interested in joining
today's podcast?
Natasya: I feel this topic is very interesting to discuss and needs to be heard by the wider
community. The ball is in our court to spread awareness and engage in meaningful
conversations about educational literacy.
(The ball is in our court: to state that the responsibility or decision is now in the hands of a
person or group).
Rabiatul: I couldn't agree more! It saddens me that there are so many people in Indonesia
who have not been educated about the importance of literacy and even their low literacy level
can be directly seen through their typing on social media.
Alifah: I have heard that Indonesian netizens are ranked 4th in the world as the most
irreverent netizens.
Rabiatul: Yes, I have heard that too. I think it's a shame, but many of them didn't care about
it.
Wanda: Then, what is the relationship between irreverence and literacy?
Rabiatul: I think the irreverent typing retrieved how well educated they are. Education can
be obtained from the views of other people who master a field or we can also get self-taught
education from books. I think people who have a low literacy level will also impact the
quality of human resources. Therefore, they can type easily without knowing what they are
typing could complicate their lives in the future because of the digital footprint.
Natasya: I agree. And in my opinion, It's true that individuals with low human resources
quality may exhibit a narrow mindset, often failing to consider others' viewpoints. I believe
that reading serves as a powerful tool to expand one's horizons. The more diverse reading
materials we engage with, the broader our perspectives and knowledge become. It's like
opening doors to new ideas and understanding, and it truly enriches our academic journey. Of
course this is also supported by the environment.
(Expand one’s horizon: to broaden someone's horizons or view of the world).
Alifah: So the environment also has an influence on the level of literacy which then impacts
the quality of human resources, right?
Natasya: Exactly.
Wanda: So, can we conclude that in your environment, the campus environment, has a
higher chance of having a high level of literacy compared to the general public?
Natasya: Absolutely. In the campus environment, we are required to hit the books with
scientific articles, and it has become the daily basis of students, especially those in the old
semester like me. I have to hit the books with a lot of reading material for my thesis.
(Hit the books: taking time to study or read seriously).
Rabiatul: As a 5th semester student, I have also been given assignments that require me to
read scientific articles. At first it was hard, but as time went by, I felt that reading scientific
articles was not bad either.
Alifah: But aren't there students who use services to do thesis or other college assignments?
This means that in the campus environment, not all students have good literacy skills based
on that fact. What do you think about that?
Natasya: Of course, not all students have good literacy skills. And that goes back to the
student's background environment. I think a person's background environment can shape that
person's habits. Whether it's parental upbringing or a friendship environment that is not
supportive of literacy skills.
Rabiatul: I agree. Especially in this technology era, there are many AI tools on the internet
that can do difficult tasks such as creating scientific articles or summarizing scientific
articles. It's just a piece of cake. The environment does affect a person, it's just a matter of
whether the person can filter the environment or not.
Alifah: That's right. The sophistication of today's technology makes it very easy for us in
education, even to the point of making us lazy people.
Wanda: Exactly! I also feel it in my daily life when I am too lazy to wash my dishes and I
rely heavily on the automatic dishwasher in my house.
Alifah: Technology has really made us dependent on it. It looks like we're getting deep into
this topic. So let's invite our other guest, who we mentioned at the beginning of this podcast.
She is an expert in the field of education who will share her perspectives on literacy to us
today. Please welcome Ms. Erlina Maulida.

Host, Co-Host, college students' bertepuk tangan

Alifah: Hello! Thank you for joining our podcast today.
Erlina: Hello! Nice to meet you all, and thank you for inviting me.
Alifah: Of course. We are very happy to have you on the podcast. We'd love to hear from
those of you who have more experience in education on today's topic.
Wanda: Yes. We have just talked about what these two students think about the environment
that can affect literacy skills. What exactly are the factors that make someone have low
literacy?
Erlina: That’s right, the environment can affect a person's literacy level. Literacy nowadays
is not only about the ability to read and write. Nevertheless, literacy can also refer to a
person's ability to get information through the internet.
Alifah: Does this mean that technology can affect a person's literacy level depending on what
they see on the internet?
Erlina: Absolutely. The internet is also an environment for its users. Just like our
environment in general, the internet also builds people's habits or behaviors and affects their
lives. So back to my earlier statement, the environment affects someone's literacy level.
Wanda: What environments affect a person's literacy level?
Erlina: The first is the family environment. The education provided by parents is the basis
for shaping children's attitude or behavior. Most parents, especially in Indonesia, often expect
their children to be good at difficult subjects like math or science. They do not consider that
literacy is as important as these subjects. Reading from an early age can attract children’s
interest in reading and make them less bored when reading. In addition to the education
provided by parents, electronic devices provided by parents such as smartphones also have an
impact on children's literacy. Indeed, on the internet, reading materials become more diverse
and easy to access. However, because of this easy access, the information on the internet
needs to be filtered. Therefore, the role of parents in the formation of children's reading habits
is crucial.
Alifah: I totally agree with your statement about the mindset of parents who think math or
science takes precedence over other education. There are still many parents who think that a
smart and intelligent child is a child who is good at math or science.
Wanda: I was one of those kids who was taught a lot of math by my parents. I still remember
as a child I was taught to memorize multiplication until I cried.
Alifah: Oh, I also experienced the same thing. It seems like many parents have a similar
mindset. If Rabiatul & Natasya have also experienced the same thing?
Rabiatul: I was not restricted by my parents to study what I liked.
Natasya: Me too. My parents are very supportive of my hobby. They also often give me gifts
that I want if I succeed in doing something.
Alifah: What do you usually want as a reward?
Natasya: I often ask to buy novels.
Wanda: Usually, kids ask for a new bag, clothes, or smartphone. Why would you rather buy
a novel?
Natasya: In my house there are a lot of storybooks belonging to my parents. When I was
little, I often read those books and that's how I started to like reading books, especially
storybooks.
Alifah: Wow this is a very positive family environment. Back to the topic, Ms. Erlina, are
there any other factors that can affect a person's literacy level?
Erlina: Of course. It’s still related to the environment; those are facilities in schools and
public areas such as libraries. If a child does not get literacy education from their parents,
they can get a second bite at school. But the problem is that the books in the library cannot
attract students' interest in reading. As mentioned earlier, increasing students' interest in
reading can help improve students' literacy. Have any of you ever thought that the books in
the school library are not interesting?
Wanda: I thought like that when I was in school. Almost all of the books in the library were
textbooks, dictionaries, and even some books that had heavy topics that weren't in school and
weren't intended for school-age children. That's why I rarely went to the library or borrowed
books from the library.
Erlina: Therefore, there are a lot of students who quickly get bored when given reading
assignments. For example, when the teacher cannot attend class and students are asked to
read the subject matter independently. Usually, students would rather talk or play with their
friends than do the assignment, right?
Alifah: That's right. When I was in school suka bergosip (idiom) with friends and ignoring
assignments from the teacher.
Wanda: It's a common thing that women do, isn't it?

Co-Host dan Host ketawa tapi tidak sampe ngakak:v

Erlina: I also be into it when I was a student. Retrieved the previous statement, public
facilities such as public libraries are also still limited in our region. There are still few public
libraries in South Kalimantan and some areas don't even have it. Additionally, books in
public libraries are usually less updated and most of it are old books. When I was in school,
there was no public library in my village. Because of that, I only depended on the school
library. During my 12 years of schooling, there was only one library that tried to renew the
books to make them more interesting for students to read. And at that time, my schoolmates
and I wished that there were many other books that were interesting for students to read.
Alifah: So, actually most Indonesian students still have the seeds to familiarize themselves
with reading?
Erlina: Yes. Although at home they are not educated in literacy by their parents, they can
still go to the library at school to attract their interest in reading. However, as I mentioned
before, books that can attract interest and suit for students are still limited. This is also
inseparable from the school's mindset which is the same as the parents mindset. They
prioritize reading materials in the form of difficult materials such as science, so that many
outstanding students can participate in academic competitions.
Wanda: So what efforts are needed to improve students' literacy levels?
Erlina: Certainly, it starts with the parenting patterns. Parents should strive to create a
supportive environment to improve children's literacy and be able to attract children’s interest
in reading first. Parents can also take their children on vacation to the public library
occasionally on weekends or when children have a desire to read other books that are
unavailable at home. The next solution is to improve and adjust the quality of books to the
age of the child. There is a time when someone likes illustrated books and there is a time
when someone starts to be interested in books that are only written form. By interesting
books, it can help increase students' interest in reading as well as increase students' focus in
reading activities. It's killing two birds with one stone. And the last solution is to increase the
number of public libraries that have good quality books. This means that the books in the
library must be diverse and not focusing on one discussion or age. In addition, the books in
libraries must be feasible to read and updated. We can take these efforts one step at a time.
Alifah: Regarding book renewal, what is the minimum time frame for renewing books in the
library?
Erlina: Books renewal can be done at least once a month. This will be more effective for
mini or school libraries. Larger public libraries can do renewal every 6 months.
Wanda: Why is the timeframe different for each library?
Erlina: Public libraries such as archive libraries or national libraries have more books than
mini or school libraries. In addition, the purpose of book renewal is to add new books that are
popular in the community or some circles of society. Thus, people who are curious about
these books can read or borrow them for free at the library.
Alifah: Does that mean that book renewal doesn't mean that all the out-of-date books are kept
and replaced by new books, but leaving the old books and adding some new ones?
Erlina: Exactly. The library can list what books are new in that period. That way, it's easier
for people to know what books are new in the library.
Alifah: This is very interesting to develop in Indonesia, especially South Kalimantan. It
doesn't feel like we're at the end of the podcast. Hopefully what we learned today can be
useful for us, the listeners, and the wider community in Indonesia.
Wanda: And maybe Rabiatul & Natasya already have plans to implement efforts to increase
students' interest in reading when teaching at school later?
Natasya: Yes, I'm already thinking of implementing what we discussed today when I become
a teacher later.
Rabiatul: Me too. Although I'm not sure if I will become a teacher or not in the future, the
knowledge I gained today can be applied when I become a parent in the future.
Alifah: We are very grateful to Ms. Erlina for taking the time to share her experience and
knowledge with everyone in this podcast.
Erlina: My pleasure.
Alifah: That was our discussion on this podcast about Indonesia's low literacy rate, factors,
impacts, and efforts to improve it. See you in the next podcast broadcast.