John Wiley & Sons, Inc., a global leader in education and scholarly research, today announced a signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Banyuwangi Regency, Indonesia, at the Inaugural ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) Meeting in Singapore. The two parties will build e-learning capabilities in the region focusing on needs such as 21st century workplace skills and digital literacy. This will support the overall ASCN vision for smart city development by 2025.
ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As one of the 26 nominated smart cities, Banyuwangi Regency, a region on the eastern tip of Java, wants to improve the lives of its people across the urban-rural continuum, and create new opportunities for its population of 1.6 million people.
“Banyuwangi is on its journey to break physical boundaries with technology,” said Budi Santoso, Chief Executive of the Banyuwangi Regency’s Communications and Informatics Office. “We are delighted to be working with Wiley to explore the provision of e-learning solutions to overcome the physical constraints of distance, and provide equitable access to digital-based learning for students in 25 subdistricts of Banyuwangi. The ultimate vision is to empower kampong (village) residents for their attainment of the same high quality of life as urban residents,” said Mr. Santoso.
“Building skills for the future by adopting an inclusive approach to skills development and capacity building is a priority for Banyuwangi Regency and Wiley,” said Chor Meng Tan, Wiley Asia’s Director of Sales. “Wiley strongly supports the government’s goal and shares its values in ensuring no one is left behind from rapid urbanization, especially in the new digital economy. We hope to support the government of Banyuwangi in its efforts to close the knowledge gap and economic gap between the rural and urban residents. Wiley is committed to improving access, affordability and outcomes for every student.”
The ASEAN Smart Cities Network is envisioned as a collaborative platform where the ASCN cities work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable development. Smart cities development cuts across many sectors such as transport, water quality, energy, healthcare, education, public services, data, and information and communications technology (ICT).
