IGF 2019 OF #34 Enhancing Digital Inclusion Through Digital Governance

Digital inclusion is a social inclusion in the 21st century that ensure individuals and disadvantaged groups have access to, and skill to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Students nowdays are called ‘digital native’ or a group of students that have great understanding of modern technology, particularly the Internet. Students of the current period were raised along the rapid advancement of information and communications technology resulting in their being accustomed to using ICTs (including the Internet) for resolving their daily tasks and chores. The idea of digital natives has been accepted by the public and adopted by numerous educational institutions, as seen in their strategic plans designed for developing their curriculum and education system. But, unfortunately, the digital native concept has very little evidence to prove the idea that “students inherently know how to use technology, especially in how to process online information from the internet”. The unequal understanding of the use of Internet by students in the academia has led to a weakness of evidence in support of the argument pertaining to the digital native concept in the society. The difference in students’ experiences and preparedness is caused by several factors, such as: access to technology; economic conditions; and less educated parents. Therefore, the governments are, hence, expected to become institutions that act as a mediator between technological advancements and students in the era of digital disruption. What is meant by mediator is that the institution should continue to innovate in providing and developing an education system that includes students’ mastery of digital skills. Solution for those problems is to increase the government role to implement digital literacy education for students in Indonesia. One of the best way is to strengthen the implementation of digital governance. Digital literacy is very important to be implemented in the primary, secondary, and even tertiary educational system because digital literacy matters as it helps student learning and citizenship by teaching students how to fine, evaluate, use and create digital content in meaningful ways. Digitally literate students will confident using digital content and tools in their learning. Digital literacy skills enable them to: find and access digital content that is fit for purpose; analyse and combine information to develop their own understandings; create and share digital content in purposeful ways. To better understand digital literacy, an understanding of the issues pertaining to digital literacy implementation is necessary. There are also impeding factors instigated by the government and the community in the implementation of digital literacy. Firstly, there is the matter of government readiness, which is an internal issue of the government in its implementation of digital governance. Secondly, the digital divide may also be considered an impeding factor which originates from within the community itself in relation to the implementation of digital governance. However, from a number of existing studies, it can be surmised that government readiness on implementing digital governance may be measured based on some of the following items: infrastructure availability, both physical and non-physical; civil servant aptitude in operating ICT; national income, which influence the country’s access to technology; and government collaboration with other stakeholders in implementing digital governance policy agenda.