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Room to Read collaborates with Google to develop Indonesia's reading culture
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Room to Read began working in Indonesia in 2014. (Room to Read/File)
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on-profit organization Room to Read has announced its partnership with Google.org to create a digital open-source platform that combines literacy development videos and hundreds of original children’s stories in Indonesian.
The platform is intended to promote literacy in Indonesia in two ways, namely increasing access to digital children's stories in Indonesian via a new digital platform that enables the creation and translation of openly licensed books, and providing a library of 20 teacher-training videos to help school staff conduct effective reading activities with children.
On its website, Google.org said the project was part of its US$50 million commitment to close global learning gaps.
Room to Read’s programs team told The Jakarta Post via email that the platform was targeted at teachers and schools to support more effective reading lessons in the classrooms and would be available across 16 districts in Indonesia.
Read also: YouTube to digitalize Indonesian children's folktales
Room to Read began working in Indonesia in 2014, and for the project at least three districts will be in the regions where the organization runs programs, namely East Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara. Meanwhile, additional districts would be confirmed in the second half of this year.
“The platform will be rolled out in 2019 in these three districts first to document lessons learned across three very different contexts in preparation for scaling the platform to at least 13 more districts in 2020. These additional districts will be selected in collaboration with the Education and Culture Ministry in the second half of 2019,” said the team, adding that with the support of the ministry, the organization hoped to reach at least 200,000 students and 2,100 teachers.
Aiming to have a lasting impact, the platform would also provide professional development videos for over 500 local writers and illustrators in developing more culturally relevant and age-appropriate children’s books. (kes)
