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n a move to promote greater transparency, the Culture and Education Ministry is requiring all senior high schools nationwide to go digital when conducting their bureaucratic activities with the ministry.

The ministry’s education data center (Dapodik) contains detailed information on schools in the country, from infrastructure information to the number of teachers and students in each school.

Each school needs to input and update the information, but the verification is carried out by a separate body within the ministry.

Senior High School Development Directorate (PSMA) director Purwadi Sutanto said Friday that he expected all senior high schools to send their project proposals to the directorate through a digital platform called the electronic infrastructure (e-sarpras).

“We will look at the Dapodik to check its proposals. For example, if a school proposes a computer lab, we will check whether it really has no computer lab,” Purwadi said in a statement on Friday.

Purwadi said besides promoting transparency, the new system would slash red tape and help reduce the use of paper.

“This will cut down on complicated bureaucracy,” he said.

Launched last year, the e-sarpras is being used by around 2,000 out of 13,000 senior high schools across Indonesia. “We want this new system to be gradually used by [all senior high] schools,” Purwadi said.