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Nowadays, digital literacy is no longer perceived as complementary skills, it has become a foundation for preparing the young generation to navigate the future, particularly amid the rapid digital transformation and the massive development in artificial intelligence.
According to the Informatics Talent Roadmap: Step Towards Golden Indonesia 20451 report by Dicoding, Indonesia will need at least 23 million informatics talents by 2045 to support the realization of its Golden Indonesia 2025 vision. To effectively prepare a future-ready generation, it is essential to go beyond conventional teaching methods by embedding digital skills, such as coding and AI fluency, into the existing curriculum, starting as early as primary and secondary education.
Fostering these skills requires more than just activities in the classroom. It needs a contextual and engaging approach that empowers students to not only adapt but also innovate. One effective strategy is gamification, which can be seamlessly integrated into an adaptive curriculum and supported by digital platforms that align with academic needs.
“Through the elevAIte Indonesia initiative, Microsoft introduces Minecraft Education as a gamified learning platform to introduce coding and AI to students at an early age, equipping the younger generation with relevant digital skills. This program positions teachers at the forefront of learning, focusing on 21st Century Learning Design so they can effectively teach these skills to their students. This initiative is part of our commitment to support the readiness of Indonesia’s future talent amidst AI transformation and the digital economy,” said Arief Suseno, AI National Skills Director, Microsoft Indonesia.
Microsoft collaborates with several schools across primary and secondary levels to integrate Minecraft Education as a tool that promotes interactive learning and also encourages creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving among students. Currently, three partnering schools are participating in the Minecraft Education pilot program. Their stories show how this innovation is transforming teaching and learning methods into a more engaging experience.
Introducing coding since the very beginning – Kinderfield Primary Duren Sawit
Kinderfield Primary Duren Sawit previously introduced coding to its students through their extracurricular activities. However, teachers quickly realized that for very young learners, the concept of coding can be abstract and hard to reflect on in everyday life. Despite their enthusiasm, students struggled to grasp the technical aspects of coding and how it applied to the real world.
Recognizing this challenge, the school acknowledged the need for more engaging and contextual learning methods that could raise the sense of curiosity. Minecraft Education brought its unique approach to digital learning. The platform simplifies the concept of programming through visualization and real-world simulations, while igniting the explorative motivations from young learners. With a game-nuanced environment, students can create their world in Minecraft while practicing logical thinking and systematic problem-solving.
“At first, teachers were unsure whether elementary students could grasp the complexity of coding. But with a platform like Minecraft Education, they exercise their logical thinking and learn programming language in an easy and feasible way—through colors, shapes, and visuals they were familiar with,” explained Quodvultdeus Bagaskoro, best known as Mr. Kibe, a teacher at Kinderfield Primary Duren Sawit.
With interesting features in Minecraft Education, students can create objects like fences or square-shaped tables by giving logical instructions to an AI-powered chatbot featured in the game. Teachers also find it easier to monitor students’ progress and work. From imitating to innovating, students now take initiatives to explore, embrace failures as part of the process, and ultimately build their own world in Minecraft.
“Students are no longer perceiving coding as a difficult subject. This gamified approach encourages them to think proactively, rather than relying on memorization.” Mr. Kibe added.
With its immersive visuals and lively gameplay, Minecraft Education has transformed how primary school students think about coding. Not only students who are making significant leaps in understanding complex concepts, teachers are also stepping beyond traditional teaching methods—embracing the technology as a powerful tool for delivering more relevant and impactful learning experiences. This initiative demonstrates that digital literacy and AI skills, with the right approach, can be familiarized from an early age—empowering students not just to adapt to technological shifts, but also to take a lead from them.
Creating AI-ready future generations – Labschool Junior High School Jakarta
Another compelling story comes from Labschool Junior High School Jakarta in Rawamangun, showcasing concrete steps taken by the school to prepare digitally literate students to face future challenges with readiness. Motivated by the capabilities of Microsoft Copilot and the opportunities offered through the elevAIte Indonesia initiative, three young and innovative teachers—Ramli Jainal Muttaqin (Informatics Teacher), Ali Topan (Indonesian Language Teacher), and Mifta Putri Apriyani (Math Teacher)—have successfully created a fresh learning atmosphere enjoyed by their students. Although teaching different subjects, they share a common goal: the mission to embed comprehensive digital literacy in the learning ecosystem to make students use technology wisely and meaningfully.
By integrating Minecraft Education as a learning platform, these teachers found creative methods to make learning activities more alive and innovative across Informatics, Mathematics, and Indonesian Language classes. In Informatics, students learn coding through creative exploration in Minecraft. They also learn to use AI agents featured in the platform, reinforcing the idea that human agency is essential to manage AI. In Mathematics, students solve problems using Minecraft’s visual elements, which reflect real-life mathematical concepts. Meanwhile, in Indonesian Language classes, Minecraft Education becomes an alternative tool to enrich literature and enhance narrative skills.
“We didn’t expect Minecraft could be leveraged not just for entertainment, but also for educational purposes. With Minecraft Education, we see a future of learning enriched by more contextual and engaging concepts. This is crucial to ignite students’ curiosity while encouraging them to explore more,” said Ramli.
What impressed the teachers most was how creatively and innovatively students used Minecraft. Their imaginative creations sparked ideas that had never been expected before, leading to the development of new prototypes with real-world solutions. Within a school project, students built a digital replica of their school in Minecraft, accurately depicting real elements such as buildings and sports fields. Even more impressively, students from Labschool Junior High School Jakarta also participated in the academic project called “Reinventing the City” in collaboration with the government. This goes beyond simple replication; they added innovative elements, such as low-emission zones, air humidity and temperature sensors, and other environmental health elements—ideas that have yet to be implemented in the real world.
“Creating a world in Minecraft isn’t just about placing blocks randomly. It requires analytical thinking to design structures that are both innovative and useful. As teachers, our job is to guide students to use technology responsibly and encourage them to create things that aren’t just appealing, but also meaningful,” said Mifta.
Adopting Minecraft Education as a learning tool has not only impacted students; it has also transformed the way teachers think. Educators who were unfamiliar with coding and AI are now exploring these fields and even encouraging their colleagues to do the same.
“We had introduced Minecraft Education to other teachers by showing them how it can be used as a creative learning tool. From that moment, we are witnessing the shift in learning style which is more exploratory. With Minecraft, students learn to understand, process, and apply virtual concepts in real-world contexts,” explained Topan.
Driven by strong enthusiasm, Ramli, Mifta, and Topan now expect a collaborative project that synchronizes multiple subjects within the Minecraft learning ecosystem. The objective is to create a multidisciplinary learning experience that’s not only exciting but also enhances collaboration and critical thinking. Labschool Junior High School Jakarta aims to prove that their students are more than passive users of technology; they are creators and problem-solvers, ready to thrive in the digital era with strong qualities and excellent digital literacy.
Preparing young generations to create more and innovate – MAN 9 Jakarta
Amidst the wave of digital transformation, Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 9 Jakarta chose to be a pioneer in the shifting trends. By exploring multiple features in Minecraft Education, the school has become more than just a place to learn theories—it’s now a place where students are empowered to create real-world solutions. This transformation is largely due to the leading example by Catur Yoga, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teacher, who brought collaboration with Microsoft to the next level by integrating Minecraft Education into the curriculum. His goal is to introduce coding, AI, and digital literacy in a more contextual and engaging way. For students at this madrasah, Minecraft is not just a game—it’s a platform to comprehend the logic of programming and computing more easily.
After integrating Minecraft Education into regular learning activities, there are noticeable shifts in the way students think. They have become more critical when solving problems and more collaborative when working on tasks or projects. Through this gamified learning method, students are encouraged to improve their coding and AI skills in a way that’s highly visual and easy for them to digest. The realistic virtual realm in Minecraft helps students understand even the most abstract concepts of coding and AI.
“Unlike conventional lessons using whiteboard, students now have a platform to unlock their creativity while understanding the logic of coding. By using Minecraft, they can save, reset, and reflect on what they have created. What’s most exciting is that, in most of the time, they don’t realize they’re learning complex concepts because they’re fully engaged and having fun in the process.” Yoga said.
Recently, Yoga’s students achieved remarkable success at the Minecraft Sustainable Challenge, hosted by SMK Kubang Kerian Malaysia, involving multiple participants across four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore. The competition challenged students to design a sustainable virtual world in Minecraft, addressing real-world challenges like renewable energy management, plastic waste reduction, and poverty alleviation. Various green energy elements such as wind turbines, solar panels, plastic recycling machines, automated street lighting systems, and other eco-friendly buildings were showcased in their works—all created using coding tools in Minecraft Education.
The competition became a proving ground for MAN 9 Jakarta students in securing valuable achievements with two winning titles. The “Nasi Cokot Isi Kebab” team featuring Ilyas Wilian Syahbana, Nailah Syifa Rengganis, and Taskia Safitri from 10th-grade, won second place. Meanwhile, the third place was secured by 11th-grade “ROGYFUTION CLUB” team featuring Muhammad Rasya Islami, Nabila Hanna Rahardjo, and Khansa Aulia Putri from 11th-grade. These achievements showcased students’ ability to transform innovative ideas into practical, technology-driven solutions.
“What I’m most proud of isn’t just the outcome, but the journey they went through—how they engaged in discussions, brought their ideas together, and integrated the logic in coding to create an eco-friendly virtual world in Minecraft. As facilitator, I’m genuinely impressed by how all the creativity originated from them,” Yoga added.
From virtual games to real-world solutions: Minecraft Education becomes a learning tool catalyst for the future
Despite representing different level of education, our stories featuring Kinderfield Primary Duren Sawit, Labschool Junior High School Jakarta, and MAN 9 Jakarta reflect a shared vision: technology-based education is more than digitizing lessons from whiteboards to digital screens—it’s about redefining the entire learning experience. Integrating Minecraft Education into the classroom cultivates three essential pillars of 21st-century education: critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world application. Beyond engaging gameplay in Minecraft, it lies a deeper process of knowledge absorption and exploration.
By promoting the adoption of Minecraft Education as an inclusive and accessible learning platform, elevAIte Indonesia initiative will continue to expand collaboration opportunities with schools across the country—encouraging more educators and students to embrace the gamified learning method. Through elevAIte Indonesia, we are reshaping a digitally literate, AI-ready generation to encounter future challenges.
For more information, please visit learn.microsoft.com.
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1Dicoding, Informatics Talent Roadmap: Step Towards Golden Indonesia 2045 (2025)