The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UGM in collaboration with the Yogyakarta Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) held a Central Coordination Meeting (RAKORPUS) for the 2020 Sahabat Census (Census Friends) on Saturday (14/3) at the 1st Floor Auditorium, at MIPA UGM. This cooperation is forged by both parties with the hope of success for the 2020 Population Census agenda.
Dr. Heru Margono, M.Sc., Head of BPS DIY, admitted that in this year’s Population Census, his party cannot carry out it alone. He stated that they needed collaboration from various parties. The reason is, he revealed that the census this time was not the same as before, which was carried out analogously, but online.
“Collaboration with UGM, especially the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, is something we should be grateful for. Online census requires statistical data literacy to the public, and this ability is owned by students here,” he explained.
Therefore, Heru said that this morning’s meeting would determine the success of the census implementation, especially in the DIY area. He explained that in this meeting, his team invited all academicians who were present to become ‘census friends’. “Later, these census friends will play a role in inviting, guiding, and persuading the people around them, be they friends, family, or their communities, to fill in this online census,” he explained.
Furthermore, Heru explained that the census this time was also important for the success of this nation’s future development. This is because current development policies are not based solely on experience and hunches, but need concrete data. “Now is the era of evidence based policy. As stated by Pak Jokowi, the data we have now is wealth that exceeds oil. Therefore, let’s help us record data in Indonesia! ” asked him.
Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UGM, Prof. Dr. Triyono, S.U., welcomed the invitation from BPS. He stated that his faculty was ready to assist, support, and participate in the implementation of the 2020 Population Census. He also advised the lecturers and students involved as Census Friends to do their best.
“With this involvement, the theories learned during college will be applied directly, so that you will get valuable experiences. Hopefully this collaboration will be useful for Indonesia’s development,” he concluded.
