An Indonesian EdTech firm announced the launch of its virtual mobile app which provides university students with rapid access to universities as well as one-click campus services as well as options for student finances. After enrolling at a local university, students can use the app to plan and manage campus events, as well as acquire sponsorships for a range of activities.
The platform now has about 150,000 registered users and has partnered with 150 universities across Indonesia. Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Indonesia, it has seen an increase in sign-ups and queries on the platform. By the end of the year, the EdTech firm aims to have at least one million registered students and 500 university collaborations.
The firm also recently launched a fundraising drive to raise funds for scholarships that will be awarded to students in need of financial assistance. For its education loans, the company collaborates with a number of banks and fintech firms and has received over 12,000 loan applicants through the mobile application.
Millions of Indonesian workers have been placed on unpaid leave or have lost their employment because of the pandemic resulting in students’ education being impacted. With the declining family income, many students are now forced to seek loans, grants or scholarships to continue their education.
Through the mobile app, students are able to find and get scholarship efficiently and quickly by browsing local universities in their region. Students can apply for loans hassle-free through the simple, intuitive app process. Going forward, this mobile application will improve its instant approval services and incorporate promo deals through various participating merchants.
After the pandemic, private universities have seen a steep reduction in enrolments and the number of university dropouts is on the rise. The pandemic situation in Indonesia has resulted in university students being unable to enrol due to financial constraints; others are dropping out are they are unable to pay the remainder of their tuition fees with the decrease in family incomes across the board.
Private university closures mirror a wider trend in the country and have expedited the closure of several institutions, including some that were already in trouble before the pandemic. Last year, the Directorate of Higher Education of the Education and Culture Ministry (DIKTI) of Indonesia announced that 12 private universities in Jakarta had closed down due to a lack of students and other problems.
These significant challenges for the nation’s university system, some fear, could lead to massive closures of more institutions. In this backdrop, Indonesia is keen to improve its education sector but various assessments indicate that it still has a long way to go before achieving that objective. Nonetheless, the country is aggressively pursuing a strategy towards development and, by 2025, the Indonesian government intends to have created a world-class education system.
OpenGov Asia recently reported on the plans of Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to make digital start-ups a compulsory subject in Higher Education starting in 2022. In collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), the Director-General of Higher Education formed the National 1000 Start-up Movement with a target of 100,000 students involved in start-up development by 2022. Later, the team that passes the start-up development selection will receive more intensive guidance so that they can last long and can enter the Kedaireka platform or campus business incubator.