The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has continued to encourage university students to help the government in carrying out disaster mitigation, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic, Nizam, an official from the ministry, has stated.

“During that time, we have mobilized 15 thousand students to help communicate, educate, and conduct various efforts to handle this pandemic,” he informed during a seminar here on Tuesday.

The ministry has continued to urge students to innovate by carrying out applied research whose results could help in improving the COVID-19 situation, he said.

He highlighted several health devices and products that students could create such as ventilators, masks, robotics, and rapid tests.

Research conducted in universities has produced more than 100 innovations as of today that could accelerate the reduction of COVID-19 cases through mass production, Nizam said.

In addition to research, the ministry has also mobilized students to expand the scope of vaccinations, conduct disaster mitigation in various regions, and help the government in handling the issue of economic recovery, he noted.

“Right now, we are holding the Belajar Merdeka Kampus Merdeka (Freedom in Learning and Campus) program. One of its primary themes is economic recovery during our current pandemic,” he elaborated.

He also said that his ministry has collaborated with the Social Affairs Ministry to provide funds to 5,400 students to help with the economic recovery in 540 districts or cities.

The ministry has also created the Kedaireka platform to recover Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) and integrate students’ research with stakeholders, he added.

“This is one of the efforts to recover the economy. In addition to economic recovery in villages, we also have the Wira Desa program and Village Empowerment and Mentoring Holistic Program (PHP2D) Real Work Lectures (KKN) to develop villages holistically,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News