Pamekasan, June 2nd 2020. PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) is providing free internet facilities until high school graduation to an elementary school student in Pamekasan, Madura. The news about student, Alfiatus Sholehah, a 5th grade student, SDN Pademawu Barat I, Pamekasan, went viral on social media and mass media because of her courage to write a letter to the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia (Mendikbud). She sent the letter in order to take part in the letter-writing competition for the Minister of Education which also stated her desire to get internet package to be able to keep up with her school lessons online since the Covid-19 outbreak. XL Axiata Team directly delivered the donation in Pamekasan, Tuesday (2/6).
Group Head East Region XL Axiata, Bambang Parikesit said, “as market leader in Madura, XL Axiata certainly feels responsible for issues amongst and relating to the community, including students, regarding the need for internet access here. We really appreciate the courage of Alfiatus in expressing the problems and all the limitations she faces while still continuing to study as she went to the Minister of Education and Culture. For children of her age, we see what she did as extraordinary. She has high enthusiasm for learning, as well as a great sensitivity to the economic conditions of her parents. Therefore, without hesitation, we immediately decided to ease her burden in terms of internet access. Not only for now, but the data plan is free and accessable until she graduates high school.”
Bambang added that XL Axiata also helped by giving free internet access to Pademawu Barat I Public Elementary School, it is the school in which Alfiatus attends. XL Axiata donated a set of routers and a monthly data quota of 20GB for 1 year (one year). This facility can be used to support teaching and learning activities in the school. The donation for Alfiatus and her school is a part of the XL Axiata Quota Donation Movement program that aims to support the efforts in improving the quality of education by providing internet access for schools in various parts of the country. Along with the development of digital technology, XL Axiata believes that internet access is one of the main tools needed to improve the quality of education.
Head of The Public Elementary School (SDN), Pademawu Barat 1, Abdul Muheth, S.Pd., M.Pd stated “Since the instructions to learn/study from home for students due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have delivered lessons to all students online. However, one of the problems we face is the students’ access to internet, because not all students are from well-off families and have the means to access the internet. The assistance from XL Axiata is certainly very helpful for Alfiatus, as well as the help of routers and free quota for our school."
To support students in still being able to learn from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, while fulfilling instructions to stay at home, XL Axiata also runs a 2GB free daily quota program that has been running since March 18th 2020 to June 7th 2020. Students can take advantage of the free 2GB daily quota program today to access a number of applications or data services that can help learn from home. Among them are Udemy, Ruang Guru, Zenius, Rumah Belajar. Also, not forgetting access to other educational platforms, namely, Kelas Pintar and Sekolah.mu, also including the official portal of the Ministry of Education and Culture (https://belajar.kemdikbud.go.id/).
Throughout the Madura Island, XL Axiata's 4G data network are evenly distributed and present in all districts, with a number of customers that amounts to 1.6 million. The service at Garam Island is supported by a total of 550 BTS units, 99% of which are 4G BTS.