Jakarta, February 5th 2021. Dozens of prototypes of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are successfully created from the hands of madrasah students participating in the Digital Madrasah Academy 4.0 incubation program. Under the guidance of PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) and the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenag), the seven-month incubation has also instilled knowledge and expertise to students regarding the use of digital technology that can be used to answer social problems in society and increase the business world productivity.
Group Head Corporate Communication of XL Axiata, Tri Wahyuningsih said, "Through this program, students get materials from experts regarding the industry dynamics according to what is currently available in which the use of digital technology is increasingly widespread in various fields. They also get tutoring on how to come up with ideas, designing a device, up to basic knowledge of IoT design techniques. Of course all the materials are new to the participants, but it turns out they can absorb it quickly."
Tri Wahyuningsih added, the incubation which has been held since July 2020 and attended by 110 students from 22 Madrasah Aliyah. The lecturers are experts from XL Axiata's X-Camp IoT Laboratory. In order to comply with health protocols related to Covid-19, this program is implemented online. Participants follow from their respective homes or schools spread across 22 cities/regencies, in 10 provinces. Therefore, this process is quite challenging because ideally the incubation is carried out in one location so that the tutoring process can run intensively.
Director of Madrasah Institutional and Student Facilities Curriculum, A. Umar said Digital Madrasah Academy program is a form of response to carry out the digital transformation process in madrasah. The presence of this program is a momentum for madrasah students to show their abilities in the Technology Sector. The learning concept given to madrasah students through Digital Madrasah Academy are soft skills learning and prototype development assistance.
There were more than 1,300 participants from 250 Madrasah Aliyah submitting papers on IoT. Selection was carried out to determine the level of seriousness of the participants, aspects of originality, and how realistic the ideas can be realized. As a result, 22 participant groups, consisting of 110 students, were selected to take part in the incubation in the Digital Madrasah Academy program.
With strict discipline, this program can be completed on time and successfully supports students in creating dozens of prototypes of IoT solutions. A total of 22 IoT solutions with very diverse ideas are created, according to the actual needs of their surrounding communities, whether related to social issues or business needs. For example, related to increasing agricultural and livestock productivity, handling trash and waste, preventing the transmission of Covid-19, preventing fire, saving energy, and air purification.
Of all the students' works, three best works are selected, namely the IoT solution called "Skyrone" for monitoring corn fields, the work of Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) Insan Cendikia from Tanah Laut, South Kalimantan, won the title of The Most Innovative. Furthermore, "Mustech" as a solution for temperature and humidity monitoring of oyster mushrooms by MAN 2 Majalengka, as The Most Marketable. Finally, "Aquiots", which is an aquatic ponic system solution for urban farming, was created by MA Darussalam Jombang as The Most Applicable.
Apart from that, two other best solutions are also selected which received the title of Top Contender, namely "E-Clear" for monitoring and sorting waste using machine learning technology, by MAN 2 Nganjuk. Another one is "Medi Gate", a solution to help limit the number of visitors in a place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the work of MAN 2 Kudus.
The three winners in the best category are entitled to a cash prize of Rp 15 million each from the Ministry of Religion and a modem along with a data package of 20 GB for 1 year from XL Axiata. For the two Top Contender winners, each has the right to get Rp 10 million of cash from the Ministry of Religion and a modem and XL data package of 20 GB for 1 year.
The other 17 participant groups will still have the opportunity to win the title of The Most Attractive Idea for 5 groups, each of which will get a prize of Rp 5 million from the Ministry of Religion and a modem along with a data package of 20 GB for 1 year.
In general, the Digital Madrasah Academy program is designed specifically with the needs of Madrasah Aliyah students in Indonesia in mind. The program provides a series of online trainings through http://madrasah.elearn.id/ and offline which are filled with a series of supporting materials. XL Axiata provides support in the form of, among others, providing employees with special expertise and experience as teachers and mentors.