An inside look at how GovTech Edu is preparing Indonesia for the next generation of learning

Education has often been called “the great equalizer,” owing to the fact that when executed correctly, it helps every student – regardless of background – reach their full potential.

This concept applies the other way too – while educators are helping students, they need to reach their own full potential as well. After all, what’s an education sector that doesn’t practice what it preaches?

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That’s where technology comes in, as it helps educational institutions and educators improve the way curricula are taught and streamline learning for the next generation.

One organization involved in this area is Indonesia-based GovTech Edu, which works with the local government to develop and deliver edtech solutions through apps or platforms to help educators plan their curricula better.

Prayudi Utomo, chief product officer at GovTech Edu, will be speaking at Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference, which is happening on June 25 and 26, 2024. Ahead of the event, we sat down to have a chat with him about GovTech Edu’s product development process.

Prayudi Utomo, chief product officer at GovTech Edu / Photo credit: GovTech Edu

1. Can you provide an overview of GovTech Edu’s mission and the impact it’s making on Indonesia’s education landscape?

Given Indonesia’s massive education ecosystem and complex characteristics – such as different levels of accessibility across the archipelago – an offline intervention would be too costly, ineffective, and time-consuming. Hence, technological intervention is essential to ensure inclusive access to quality education nationwide.

GovTech Edu is on a mission to build a technology ecosystem and be an enabler and accelerator of digital transformation in Indonesia’s education system, particularly in increasing student learning outcomes. As the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT)’s thought and tech development partner, we join the Echelons – one of the highest leadership levels in MoECRT – and their team in understanding the challenges at hand and defining the ministry’s strategic vision and mission, which serves as the foundation of the product development process.

Today, we focus on improving access to quality training and teaching materials, as well as access for teachers to share their best practices in the classroom with peers and improving their career progression and advancement opportunities through technology platforms.

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Some examples of how our collaborative effort with MoECRT has impacted the Indonesian education landscape include:

2. What is your role in developing the GovTech Edu product?

3. What are the biggest challenges and opportunities for product development in Indonesia’s public sector?

4. Could you provide concrete examples of initiatives where the user-centric mindset – especially in the government and public sector – has been successfully implemented in GovTech Edu?

5. What will you be speaking about at Tech in Asia’s Product Development Conference and why is it important?