North Sulawesi's Literacy Rate Highest in the Nation, Surpassing Jakarta

2020 data from Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reveals that the province with the highest literacy rate for those aged over 15 is not the capital city. North Sulawesi holds the top position, with a literacy rate of 99.79%. Jakarta follows in second place at 99.69%, followed by Maluku (99.42%), Riau (99.23%), and Central Kalimantan (99.2%).

These five provinces exceed the national average literacy rate of 96.4%. This national average is significantly higher than the rate at the dawn of independence (less than 10%) and in 1960 (around 60%).

Provinces with the lowest literacy rates include Papua (77.9%), West Nusa Tenggara (87.6%), East Java (92.5%), South Sulawesi (92.56%), and West Sulawesi (93.17%). Nationally, the lowest literacy rate is found in the over-45 age group at 90.54%, while the highest is in the 15-44 age group at 99.2%.

(Read More: What were the Male and Female Literacy Rates in 2019?)

According to BPS, literacy rate refers to the proportion of the population aged 15 and over who can read and write Latin and other alphabets, regardless of comprehension, relative to the total population aged 15 and over. Large-scale literacy eradication efforts began under President Soekarno after independence, continued by President Soeharto with the integrated Paket A learning program linking education and livelihood skills. Then, in 2004, President SBY launched the National Movement for the Acceleration of Illiteracy Eradication with the 9-Year Compulsory Education Movement.

While the current literacy rate is significantly improved, reading comprehension remains low. The 2018 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey ranked Indonesia 74th out of 79 countries in reading comprehension, with a score of 371. This highlights the need for significant government attention to the quality of Indonesian education.

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