Providing technology access to West Java schools

In recent years, towns in West Java, Indonesia, have experienced rapid population and industrial growth. Communities like Cikarang and Karawang, around 30 miles east of Jakarta, are working to ensure that education keeps pace with that growth. Through the Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund for Digital Skills grant, local schools are gaining access to modern technology and upskilling for both teachers and students.

“We are very grateful for the Microsoft Digital Skills grant,” said M. Pirdaos, a teacher at MIS Jamiatul Huda. “We believe that with this grant, our students will be able to master basic computer technology, which will help them excel in school and in the future.”

Every year, students are required to complete an online national student assessment, but in some schools, resources are minimal. Many schools in the region lack access to essential digital tools, particularly laptops. One school had only ten laptops for over 200 students, while another school had no computers at all, forcing the headmaster to borrow laptops from a neighboring school. With the Digital Skills grant, these schools now have access to laptops for the annual assessment and other learning activities.

“I am very grateful and proud that my school was awarded the Digital Skills grant from Microsoft,” said Iis Nuraenah, headmaster of SMAN Bojongmangu 1. “We use this fund to procure laptops to improve the digital competence of teachers and students. This grant is very useful and very helpful for our school.”

In 2024, nine schools in the Cikarang and Karawang area, ranging from elementary school to senior and vocational high schools, received the Digital Skills grant. In addition to laptops, the grant has been used to acquire LCD projectors, PCs, and servers, and to conduct digital skills training for both teachers and students. Through these improvements, the schools now can help their students thrive in the digital learning era.