Bandung, NAWACITAPOST.COM - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) has designated Bandung City, West Java as the location for the second meeting of the G20 Education Working Group (EdWG), 18-19 May 2022 which is conducted in a hybrid manner.

By selecting West Java as the venue, the MoCERT encourages participants to reflect on the philosophy of Sabilulungan which is firmly held by the Sundanese - native to the western part of Java Island. Sabilulungan is analogous to the spirit of gotong royong or supporting each other to reach a common greater goal which is widely introduced by Indonesia’s G20 Presidency.

Chair of the G20 Education of Working Group (EdWG) 2022, Iwan Syahril said, “The spirit of gotong royong shall motivate each strategic action and implementation of the EdWG G20 meeting results. Gotong royong is undoubtedly key to education recovery.”

Sabilulungan encourages more than just gotong royong, but also silih asah, silih asih, silih asuh, and silih wawangi. These noble values inherent in Sundanese culture are one of the reasons for choosing the city.
Silih asah means sharpening one's mind and sharing information. Silih asih means loving one another, silih asuh means guiding one another, while silih wawangi can be interpreted as giving each other support.

"Aligned with these four values, at the second EdWG G20 meeting starting today, we hope that all meeting participants can actively take part by sharing their ideas with each other in order to create quality education and provide access to education for all, with the spirit of gotong royong," said Iwan.

The spirit of Sabilulungan or gotong royong in this EdWG G20 meeting is expected to encourage the emergence of policies, innovations and aspirations that are beneficial to national and global interests.