Tanoto Foundation Contributed IDR157 Billion in Programs and Aid in 2020 to Improve Indonesia’s Human Capital Development Index: Annual Report

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 1 April 2021 – Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organization founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, contributed a total IDR157 Billion (US$11.1M) to support a diverse range of education and human capital development programs in 2020, an increase from 2019’s IDR155 billion (US$ 10.9M). This is detailed in the Tanoto Foundation Annual Report 2020, published today.

The increase reflected Tanoto Foundation’s concerns over the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities. The funds were allocated to finance a number of sustainable programs, in the following areas:

• Early childhood development and education, including prevention of stunting;
• Improving the quality of educators (teachers, teacher trainees, principals, school supervisors);
• Development of future leaders (scholarship scheme);
• COVID-19 aid.

Dr. J. Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO, Tanoto Foundation, stated that the Foundation remains committed to achieving its programs’ impact goals, while helping the communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were encouraged by the generosity of the Tanoto family, who guided us as we maintained continuity in our programs to improve lives and quality of education for our beneficiaries, with a number of adjustments made due to the pandemic,” said Satrijo.

Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic

Tanoto Foundation collaborated with government and private sector organizations to support areas that required more attention and intervention. In the early stages, the efforts were focused on supporting medical workers in the frontline, while in the later stages the focus shifted to supporting the increase of COVID-19 testing capacity � the Foundation’s collaboration with Temasek Foundation International and GSI lab being one example. The total tally of the donation in COVID-19 assistance amounted to 1.3 million masks, 1 million pairs of gloves, 100,000 protective gowns, 3,020 goggles, 20,200 PCR test kits and 1 set of testing machines.

Collaboration on stunting prevention

Tanoto Foundation continued to actively support the Indonesian Government’s stunting reduction goals and improve learning standards in early childhood development and education, with key highlights as follows:

• Strengthened partnerships with Early Childhood Education centres, trained 154 teachers, reaching 824 children;
• Collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; committed a total of US$2 million to the World Bank’s Multi Donor Trust Fund in support of training 72,636 human development cadres recruited by the Indonesian government;
• Contributed a US$200,000 grant to UNICEF Indonesia to translate and adapt the measurement instruments for the Early Childhood Development Instrument (ECDI) and the Caregiver-Reported Early Development Index (CREDI) in Indonesia.

Basic Education: Supporting the shift in distance learning

The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted basic education. The Government swiftly implemented distance learning to ensure the continuation of educational activities by leveraging technology and creative teaching methods. To support our beneficiaries in this process, Tanoto Foundation’s PINTAR Program surveyed over 450 partner primary and secondary schools across 21 districts.

The survey found only a third of schools in urban areas were distance-learning ready, while only one in 10 schools were distance-learning ready in rural and semi-urban areas. It also discovered the challenges that teachers and principals were facing in the shift to distance learning, represented in three major areas:

• Infrastructure: Students and teachers had limited access to internet and adequate devices.
• Teachers’ Competency: Teachers had difficulty using technology and digital media to assess the students’ understanding of study materials and track their progress.
• System and people readiness:

a. Students struggled to embrace a different learning method.

b. Parents were unprepared to take a more active role in the learning process.

c. The Government needed time to adapt to the changes in the education sector

Following the survey, the PINTAR Program facilitators developed plans that focused on equipping educators with the necessary competencies and facilities to effectively use technology for distance learning. Efforts included the launch of an e-teacher training platform aimed at familiarizing teachers with learning management systems and simple collaboration tools. The program also combined online individual learning and exchange of best practices through the formation of teacher working groups. To achieve scale and sustainability, we rerouted expenditure on brick-and-mortar infrastructure to classroom and out of classroom technologies.

Developing future leaders in the higher learning segment

Amidst the pandemic, the recruitment process of the TELADAN scholarship recipients (scholars) class of 2021 was for the first time held entirely online. The processes included online registration, three-step preliminary selection (included gamified and written tests) to final round of selection (online leaderless group discussion, gamification, and online interviews) to ensure the quality of shortlisted scholars. The Foundation selected 172 TELADAN Scholars from a total 10,895 applicants.

Over the period 2004-2020, Tanoto Foundation has awarded 7,825 scholarships to students from various universities across Indonesia.

About Tanoto Foundation

Tanoto Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto based on the belief that every person should have the opportunity to realize his or her full potential. Tanoto Foundation programs stem from the belief that quality education accelerates equal opportunity. We harness the transformative strength of education to realize people’s full potential and improve lives. Tanoto Foundation focuses on making an impact in three areas: improving learning environments, future leaders development, as well as medical research and sciences.