Transformation of Non-Formal Education in the Digital Era for Community Empowerment

Abstract

Introduction to the Problem: Non-formal education (Pendidikan Luar Sekolah/PLS) has historically played a crucial role in facilitating lifelong learning and in lifting marginal communities out of disadvantage. Entering the digital era, however, non-formal education institutions such as Community Learning Centres (Pusat Kegiatan Belajar Masyarakat/PKBM) face the serious challenge of a digital literacy gap (digital divide). Learning citizens and tutors are often unfamiliar with technology, so that conventional empowerment programmes lose their relevance (Nugroho, 2022). Purpose: This study aims to analyse and describe comprehensively how strategies for transforming non-formal education in the digital era can be implemented, and to evaluate their impact on capacity building and the economic empowerment of rural and marginal communities. Design/methods/approach: This qualitative study employs a library research approach. Data collection focused on academic literature, andragogy textbooks, and national journals concerning non-formal education and community empowerment, which were analysed using critical discourse analysis and thematic data reduction (Zed, 2014; Moleong, 2021). Findings: The findings show that the transformation of non-formal education requires three integrative pillars: (1) a reconstruction of the curriculum that combines vocational skills with applied digital literacy (Setiawan, 2018); (2) the use of a hybrid e-learning ecosystem to accommodate the flexibility of andragogy (Rahmawati, 2021); and (3) cross-sectoral pentahelix partnerships. Conceptually, this transformation is shown to be capable of turning learning citizens from passive objects into competitive subjects of the creative economy (Hidayat, 2019).