From May 2 to May 4, 2020, Yayasan Inspirasi Indonesia Membangun (YIIM) rolled out an educational social assistance initiative to mitigate the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this round of social action, YIIM concentrated its support on the educational sector, delivering internet data subsidies for teachers alongside school supplies and educational reading books for students studying remotely from home.

Supported by its primary partner, PT Insight Investments Management, YIIM conducted ground verifications to identify the pressing needs and obstacles encountered by educators and students in lower-middle private educational institutions navigating home-based learning.

Private schools were prioritized based on frontline feedback indicating that small private institutions lacked dedicated budget lines for teachers’ online teaching quotas, forcing educators to pay for instructional data out of their own personal pockets.

In this inaugural phase, YIIM channeled educational social aid to two foundational beneficiary institutions:

The beneficiaries were Anglo National Christian Elementary School (SDKN Anglo), situated at Jalan Rawasari Selatan No. 10X, RT 15/RW 09, Rawasari, Cempaka Putih Sub-district, Central Jakarta, and the Sayap Ibu Foundation Orphanage at Jalan Barito II No. 55, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. YIIM envisions that SDK Anglo and Sayap Ibu Orphanage will serve as benchmark models for similar outreach to other private educational institutions serving lower-middle-income families.

For Anglo National Christian Elementary School, YIIM distributed Phase I internet quota allowances from May 2 to May 4, 2020, to 16 elementary teachers, providing Rp 200,000 (two hundred thousand rupiah) per teacher. Combined, these dedicated educators teach 231 students with instructional loads ranging from 24 to 32 hours weekly, entirely dependent upon stable online connectivity.

This teaching quota grant was provided to honor the teachers’ relentless dedication, ensuring they could continue educating their pupils despite constrained school financial operational capacities.

Speaking on the assistance, Vice Principal I of SDK Anglo, Ibu Martha, expressed her deep gratitude.

“The school never anticipated nor budgeted for a sudden, mandatory Learn-From-Home system, meaning that no operational allocation was set aside at the start of the academic year for online distance learning. As a school, we were unable to provide data facilities for our teaching staff or our pupils,” explained Ibu Martha.

Ibu Martha added, “This situation presented a grave predicament for our teachers, many of whom come from modest socioeconomic backgrounds. Yet, despite these financial constraints, their commitment never wavered, believing passionately that children must continue learning even from home.”

Commemorating the spirit of National Education Day (Hardiknas), YIIM stepped forward to ease this financial strain by supplying internet subsidies directly to these frontline educators.

In addition to teacher data support, YIIM distributed Phase I stationery packages to 15 elementary pupils at SDK Anglo to facilitate effective learning at home.

Concurrently, on May 4, 2020, YIIM delivered educational packages to children at Sayap Ibu Orphanage, supplying full stationery kits to 9 elementary and junior high school foster students.

Furthermore, YIIM donated 100 quality story and educational books—including Indonesian folklore, character development literature, and general science volumes—for all foster children under Sayap Ibu’s care.

During the visit, Lily, representing the Sayap Ibu Orphanage Foundation, noted with heartfelt emotion, “We extend our deepest gratitude to YIIM and PT Insight Investments Management for their sincere care toward our foster children through these stationery packages and 100 inspiring books.”

Lily continued, “Remote schooling is an entirely new paradigm for our foster children. Having brand-new stationery kits and engaging reading books from YIIM provides enormous relief and moral encouragement to help them persevere through this pandemic.”

YIIM Board Chairman Chrisbiantoro emphasized, “The education sector is among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Let this National Education Day serve as our collective call to ensure learning continues at maximum efficacy even from a distance, never compromising the vital transfer of knowledge, ethics, and wisdom from teachers to students.”

According to Chrisbiantoro, safeguarding education for both educators and students constitutes the single most strategic investment for the nation’s future.

“Education is the primary investment toward realizing the dream of an advanced, prosperous Indonesia,” Chrisbiantoro stressed.

Safeguarding inclusive, continuous education during this crisis directly advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4: Quality Education for All, adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2015.

Expressing similar solidarity, Budy Cahaya of PT Insight Investments Management observed, “While COVID-19 has severely disrupted socioeconomic life, the education sector must never be paralyzed. Education must be fiercely protected, as these bright young minds represent the future leaders who will rebuild and rejuvenate our nation when this pandemic ends.”

YIIM hopes this educational support acts as a constructive catalyst for teachers and students alike, inspiring wider cross-sectoral solidarity to support remote schooling throughout the pandemic.

May Indonesia swiftly navigate this challenging era and emerge as a stronger, healthier, and more enlightened nation.

Salam Inspirasi!