PORTALJABAR, SUMEDANG REGENCY - The Regional Secretary (Sekda) of West Java, Herman Suryatman, stated that the West Java Provincial Government is collaborating with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to develop the Jatinangor area as a City of Digital Knowledge.

The collaboration is part of the West Java Provincial Government's efforts to lead digital transformation in Indonesia through gubernatorial regulations that regulate the acceleration of digitalization for better and more sustainable public services.

This was conveyed by Herman after conducting a field visit to the Jatinangor Urban Area (KPJ), Friday (24/1/2025) at the ITB Jatinangor Campus, Sumedang Regency.

During his visit, Herman emphasized the importance of making Jatinangor a pilot project for a sustainable area based on digital transformation, starting from the village level.

"We must be at the forefront of digital transformation to improve public services and community welfare," said Herman.

Jatinangor as a Continuing Education Area

Herman said that the digital transformation in Jatinangor aims to create a city that is not only known as an educational area, but also as a sustainable city with digitalization as the main tool.

"This must be concrete. We build Jatinangor as a sustainable education city by utilizing digital technology. The end result is the welfare and happiness of the community," he added.

As part of the concrete steps, the West Java Regional Government together with ITB plans to present a digital HUB in Jatinangor, an information and collaboration center that will encourage the optimization of digitalization down to the village and sub-district levels.

"We agreed that there will be a HUB in Jatinangor as a place to gather and share information. All villages and sub-districts must optimize their digitalization," added Herman.

Furthermore, Herman emphasized that the West Java Regional Government continues to involve pentahelix elements in regional development, namely government, academics, business actors, communities, and media. This collaboration aims to ensure that the digital transformation program can have a real impact on community welfare.

The West Java Regional Government and ITB will also strengthen cooperation in various fields, including teaching, research, and community service.

"We are preparing a digital transformation whose core is to ensure that people receive justice. Services become faster, lighter, easier, and more convenient," Herman said.

Manual and Digital Go Hand in Hand

Herman realized that even though digitalization is inevitable, manual public services that have been running well will still be maintained.

"Digital transformation is a must, but we still maintain the manual services that are already running. Manual continues to run, digital transformation continues to run," he said.

Through this strategic step, the West Java Provincial Government hopes that Jatinangor can become a model for other regions in implementing smart and sustainable cities, with digital technology as the main pillar.