Strengthening Non-formal Education Institutions in Indonesia through Accelerating the Implementation of Information Technology Literacy

Abstract

Non-formal education is flexible, acts as a complement, substitute, and enhancer of knowledge and skills that are not obtained through formal education. However, during the 4.0 industrial revolution, it turns out that most of the services of informal educational institutions in Indonesia have not been maximized, especially in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their learning services and institutional management are still conventional and business as usual. They are not able to adjust to the flow of information technology developments that are so fast. Conventional non-formal education institutions are unable to compete with digital-based non-formal education institutions which have generally not been established for a long time, even though their main business is not located in non-formal education services. This paper will theoretically examine the development of information technology literacy today, predict future opportunities and challenges, and what solutions should be implemented immediately by non-formal educational institutions by shifting service patterns from conventional education service systems to digital-based education service systems. Only with the massive changes in information technology, non-formal educational institutions can compete and can serve the maximum learning needs of society.