The study, titled “Implementation of Educational Digitalization Policy at The Junior High School Level in Paser Regency, East Kalimantan Province,” examines how educational digitalization policies are planned and implemented at the junior high school level in Paser Regency. It also explores differences in digitalization practices among schools located in urban, peri-urban, and disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.
Educational digitalization is no longer limited to the use of computers, laptops, or internet connections. Digital technology has become part of various school activities, including student data management, budget planning, student admissions, school communication, and classroom learning.
However, having digital devices does not automatically make education more effective. Teachers’ digital skills, internet connectivity, school support, leadership, funding, and technical assistance all influence how effectively technology can be used.
One Teacher, One Laptop Program
Paser Regency has developed an educational digitalization initiative through the “One Teacher, One Laptop” program. The program is part of the local government’s efforts to strengthen the use of technology in education.
In 2022, the Paser Regency Government reportedly distributed 1,443 laptops to teachers at kindergarten, elementary, and junior high school levels. Subsequent developments brought the total distribution to 2,699 laptops, including 729 units allocated to junior high school teachers.
The program demonstrates the local government’s investment in providing technological devices for educators. However, the study by Budi Prasetiyo and colleagues shows that the success of educational digitalization cannot be measured simply by the number of devices distributed.
Six Schools Included in the Study
The researchers employed a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and examinations of documents related to the planning and implementation of educational digitalization.
The study involved six junior high schools in Paser Regency, consisting of two schools in urban areas, two in peri-urban areas, and two in 3T areas. Information was obtained from various stakeholders involved in educational digitalization, including officials from the Education Office, school principals, teachers, school operators, and other relevant parties.
This approach enabled the researchers to examine how the same digitalization policy was translated into practice under different school conditions.
Digital Administration Develops Faster
One of the main findings was that digital technology has become an established part of school administration. Applications such as ARKAS, Dapodik, SIPLah, and PPDB are used to support budget management, educational data administration, procurement, and student admissions.
The use of these applications tends to be more consistent because many of them are directly connected to administrative requirements and government policies that schools are expected to follow.
The situation is different when technology is used for teaching and learning. Schools in urban areas have greater opportunities to use platforms and tools such as Google Classroom, Google Forms, Microsoft 365 for Education, interactive digital boards, Virtual Reality, and digital library services.
Schools in 3T areas, meanwhile, face greater limitations in internet connectivity and access to devices. Some schools have had to combine digital and manual systems. In certain situations, school operators need to travel to locations with better internet signals to complete online administrative tasks.
These differences demonstrate that the same policy can produce different forms of implementation when applied in schools with different environmental and resource conditions.
Teacher Competence Is a Key Factor
The availability of laptops and digital devices does not guarantee that all teachers have the same level of ability to use them. Interviews indicated that most teachers were able to operate computers, access the internet, use office applications, work with learning platforms, and handle various educational administration applications.
However, digital competence was not completely uniform. Some teachers still required assistance when using new applications, dealing with changes in features, or adapting to updated digital systems.
In several schools, teachers or school operators with stronger technology skills became informal sources of support for their colleagues.
The findings suggest that teachers’ digital competence involves more than simply operating devices. Teachers also need to understand how technology can be used to design learning activities, conduct assessments, communicate, collaborate, and manage information.
Students Respond Positively, but Access Remains a Challenge
From the students’ perspective, the use of technology generally received positive responses. Videos, interactive presentations, learning applications, and digital media were perceived as making lessons more engaging and helping students access learning materials.
Submitting assignments online was also considered more convenient by some students.
Nevertheless, students did not all experience digital learning in the same way. Limited access to devices, internet data costs, network quality, and students’ ability to use technology for academic purposes remained challenges.
Therefore, educational digitalization requires more than providing devices at school. A supportive digital ecosystem for students outside school is also an important component of successful educational transformation.
Digitalization Patterns: Compliance, Adaptation, and Innovation
Budi Prasetiyo, Andi Kasmawati, and Wahira describe the development of educational digitalization in Paser through a “compliance–adaptation–innovation” pattern.
At the compliance stage, schools use technology primarily to meet administrative requirements and government policies. At the adaptation stage, schools begin adjusting technology use to their available resources and local conditions. At the innovation stage, schools with stronger capacities develop technology-based approaches for learning and educational services in more creative ways.
Not all schools have reached the same stage.
Using George C. Edwards III’s policy implementation framework, the study highlights the interaction of four important elements: communication, resources, implementers’ disposition or commitment, and bureaucratic structure.
Adequate internet connectivity and technological devices, for example, are not sufficient if teachers do not receive training and ongoing assistance. Conversely, teachers with strong digital skills may still face difficulties when internet infrastructure is inadequate.
Digitalization Needs to Be Based on School Needs
The study also found that digitalization planning in Paser Regency has been incorporated into local government and school planning documents and supported by budget allocations. However, the process remains relatively top-down and has not yet been fully based on systematic assessments of individual school needs.
Schools with different geographical conditions and resources require different digitalization strategies. Urban schools may need more advanced development of digital learning, while schools in 3T areas may have more immediate needs for stable connectivity, devices suitable for their network conditions, and continuous technical support.
For this reason, educational digitalization in Paser should not focus solely on adding more devices. Planning needs to begin with an assessment of school needs, followed by improvements in infrastructure and connectivity, teacher digital competence, school leadership, and continuous technical assistance.
For local governments, the findings indicate that investment in technology needs to be accompanied by investment in people and supporting systems. For schools, technology can provide greater educational benefits when it is used not only to meet administrative requirements but also to improve students’ learning experiences.
Author Profile
Budi Prasetiyo, Andi Kasmawati, and Wahira are affiliated with the Department of Public Administration, Universitas Negeri Makassar (UNM), Indonesia. Their work focuses on areas including public administration, policy implementation, educational governance, and educational digitalization. The academic degrees of the individual authors are not fully specified in the available article manuscript.
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