Cooking to coding: What free HTML classes mean for Indonesian maids
A government initiative aims to give returning domestic helpers the tools to build a better future back in their home country – and bolster Indonesia’s high-tech workforce at the same time
Jamilah’s newly obtained skills are beyond anything most would expect from an Indonesian maid working in Singapore – she is not only a cook and a cleaner, but a website builder.
Jamilah learnt programming languages such as HTML and CSS at a free, eight-week coding course for domestic workers provided by Indonesia’s Creative Economy Agency. The agency plans to expand the programme, launched in Singapore in January, to Hong Kong later this month, then to Malaysia, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.
To cater to maids’ strict schedules, the classes are held every Sunday from 10am to 1pm. In Singapore, the demand to enrol was so high the programme was forced to move those about to leave the city state to the front of the line – such was the case with Jamilah.
“I’m very keen on learning how to code,” Jamilah told This Week in Asia. “I’m hoping to have my own business when I return to Central Java and use the website to market my products and bring in more customers from the internet.”
Students are expected to bring their own laptops to class, and this posed a problem for Jamilah since her old computer was broken. “So I bought a brand new Dell laptop that set me back SG$499 (HK$2,765), or a month’s salary. But it’s worth it.”