Press Release

Muara Enim, December 13, 2024 - PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA), a member of the MIND ID Group, participates in efforts to enhance human resource quality to realize a progressive Indonesia.

To improve the literacy skills of elementary school students, PTBA has been running the National Movement to Eradicate Reading Illiteracy (Gernas Tastaba) program since 2022, aiming to improve the competency of elementary school teachers in Muara Enim and Lahat Regency. The training is conducted intensively, covering basic reading, active reading, and meaningful reading.

Septia Purnamasari, one of the elementary school teachers in Muara Enim who participated in Gernas Tastaba, shared that the training she received was very beneficial in her teaching activities. Septia, a first-grade teacher, is responsible for educating her students to read fluently.

From Gernas Tastaba, she learned methods that not only help her students read fluently but also understand the text. One approach is to encourage students to imagine the text being presented and relate it to their daily experiences.

"Reading and writing skills require special learning. It turns out there are various strategies, such as asking children to visualize the text being presented. We create a visualization so the children can understand the story they are reading. We are now able to facilitate the children in reading and understanding the text," said Septia.

One clear evidence of the success of the Gernas Tastaba program, run in collaboration with PTBA, is the significant improvement in students' reading abilities in classrooms where the teachers received the training. Before the training, only 3-4 students could read fluently; after the training, the situation was reversed, with only 3-4 students unable to read.

Eradicating Math Illiteracy

In addition to eradicating reading illiteracy, PTBA is also working to eliminate math illiteracy through the National Movement to Eradicate Math Illiteracy (Gertas Tastaka), launched in 2021. Mastery of both literacy and numeracy is a prerequisite for becoming an outstanding individual in various fields.

Elma Sismi, an elementary school teacher who participated in the Gernas Tastaka program, deeply felt the benefits of the training she received. "The benefits are not just for the teachers but are also felt by the students at school," she said.

She underwent a three-month training program from September to December 2021. "I could really feel the change in the implementation of math teaching. Before the training, we rarely used media and only relied on books. In Gernas Tastaka, we were taught how to help students understand the application of knowledge in real life," she explained.

Elma now makes math lessons closely related to everyday life, making it easier for her students to understand the material. It's not just about following the book.

"For example, in teaching about money, we present the actual items. We have paper money, coins, and their fractions. We use play money and ask the students to form 25,000 from the different denominations. They understand its real-life application," she added.

Gernas Tastaba and Gernas Tastaka aim to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4, which focuses on Quality Education. Since 2022, PTBA’s Gernas Tastaba program has trained 164 teachers. Through the Gernas Tastaka program, PTBA has trained 242 teachers since 2021.

These programs align with PTBA's Noble Purpose as a member of the MIND ID Group, which is to mine resources to build civilization, promote shared prosperity, and create a better future.