June 8–10, 2026

Denpasar — Ni Putu Pande Mirah Surya Dewi, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry Education at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) of Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM), achieved success in a competition at the Bali provincial level, the Aguron-guron Wikithon, which was held both online and in-person from Monday to Wednesday, June 8–10, in Denpasar. At this event, organized by BasaIbu Wiki of Bali Province, Mirah took second place in the General category, beating out 850 other participants divided into three categories: High School/Vocational School, General, and Yowana Abhinaya.

This idea and policy competition challenges participants to address a crucial question: “What concrete steps can you take to use AI (Artificial Intelligence) wisely to advance literacy in Bali?” The competition stages include (1) the Idea Submission Stage, which involves gathering creative ideas from hundreds of participants online; (2) the Curation Phase, which involves an initial administrative and substantive screening to select the 20 best entries; and (3) the Substantive Judging Phase, in which winners are selected by a trusted panel of judges consisting of academics from the Faculty of Languages and Arts (FBS) at Ganesha University of Education, the Head of the Bali Provincial Department of Education, Youth, and Sports (Kadisdikpora), and youth leaders dedicated to preserving Balinese language and culture.

Through this comprehensive judging process, a selection of the best works from various prestigious institutions was chosen, including ULM—represented by Mirah—Bali Mandara High School, Seririt State High School No. 1, and Kuta State High School No. 1. In this competition, Mirah successfully secured 2nd place in the General Category with her innovative project titled “BaliLingua Card: An AI-Based Smart Card to Foster Literacy in Science, the Balinese Language, and Balinese Script.”

According to Mirah, the strength of the Aguron-guron Wikithon is that the winning entries do not remain mere documents on paper, but are supported to be implemented in practice by the local government. Following the announcement of the winners, a series of highly strategic follow-up activities began, namely: (1) Policy Dialogue 1 (June 10, 2026): Held at the Bali Provincial Communication and Information Office. At this stage, representatives from the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at ULM presented the BaliLingua Card to key stakeholders, including the Bali Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD), relevant agencies within the Bali Provincial Government, academics, legal experts, and IT experts. The output of this dialogue will be a policy brief; (2) Policy Dialogue 2 (July 10, 2026): This is a follow-up stage to refine the draft policy that has been prepared; (3) Implementation & Evaluation (August 2026): The initiative begins to be implemented in the field, and its effectiveness is evaluated during Policy Dialogue 3; (4) Final Outcome (End of 2026): The expected final result is the creation of an official policy that can be implemented in the Province of Bali, which will be discussed and ratified at the 2026 Bali Youth Conference.

Regarding her victory, Mirah expressed her joy. For her, this achievement is a great honor—not only for herself personally but also as a representative of the Department of Chemistry Education at FKIP ULM in an out-of-region competition. “My main focus in this competition wasn’t simply to pursue a high ranking, but rather to offer cutting-edge, concrete solutions—such as AI (Artificial Intelligence—Ed.)—to support science and cultural literacy,”

According to Mirah, the most memorable and rewarding aspect of this competition for her was the post-competition process. Through a Policy Dialogue at the Bali Department of Communication and Information, the draft proposal for the BaliLingua Card was reviewed, discussed, and directly acknowledged by policymakers (the Regional People’s Representative Council and relevant agencies) as well as experts from various disciplines. “Knowing that this idea from a ULM lecturer will be developed into a policy brief and lead to official regulations at the Bali Youth Conference later this year brings me great satisfaction as an academic. This is a tangible manifestation of the application of legal and educational thought into the realm of public policy,” he said enthusiastically. (Admin)