Jakarta, October 21, 2025 – Politeknik Statistika STIS held a General Lecture titled “Data Revolution for Official Statistics” in collaboration with the National School of Statistical Science (ENCE) under the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, Brazil. The event took place on Tuesday (October 21) at the Politeknik Statistika STIS Auditorium, attended by second-, third-, and fourth-year students, as well as representatives from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and IBGE (Brazil). This event marked an important milestone in strengthening international cooperation in education and the development of official statistics.

The event was opened by Dr. Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi, Vice Chief Statistician of Statistics Indonesia, who emphasized the importance of concrete actions in strengthening collaboration between Polstat STIS and ENCE. He highlighted the urgency of modernizing statistics through inter-institutional cooperation and the development of advanced methodologies, including the use of big data in official statistics. This collaboration is expected to reinforce a national statistical system that is adaptive to the changing times and increasingly complex data needs.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcio Pochmann, President of IBGE, in his remarks, underscored the importance of developing the statistical landscape and applying international statistical standards to ensure that national statistics remain relevant and up to date. He stressed that the cooperation between Polstat STIS and ENCE should be based on adapting to technological developments, particularly the internet, and should aim to support public policies for the welfare of society. Through this collaboration, it is hoped that new innovations and mechanisms for efficient and sustainable statistical production will emerge.

As part of the event, an introduction was presented about ENCE, a higher education institution under IBGE, the official statistical agency of Brazil, similar to the role of Polstat STIS under Statistics Indonesia. Established in 1953, ENCE plays a crucial role in producing competent statistical human resources to support Brazil’s national statistical system.

The campus offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, supported by comprehensive educational and research facilities. ENCE is also actively engaged in collaborations with various international universities and research institutions, producing numerous projects focused on statistical innovation, methodological development, and the application of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) in statistical activities. Through this forum, ENCE also expressed its hope to establish closer cooperation with Polstat STIS through academic exchange programs, joint research, and collaborative project development.

The public lecture was delivered by Mr. Jorge Abrahão de Castro, Director of ENCE, who presented in Portuguese with the assistance of a translator. In his presentation, he highlighted the strengths of ENCE and Polstat STIS as two of the few statistical institutions in the world that operate dedicated schools of statistics to cultivate high-quality human resources.

Dr. Jorge also outlined seven major challenges faced by the field of statistics in Brazil, including: maintaining technical precision amid misinformation, protecting personal data under national regulations, budget constraints, human resource regeneration, pressure to produce real-time data, updating methodologies in line with digital technology advancements, and ensuring environmental sustainability in statistical processes.

Furthermore, he explained that these challenges also directly impact statistical education systems, including ENCE. These include the need to strengthen academic and professional training in increasingly complex environments, promote cross-sectoral data integration—such as in health, social, and inequality studies through the SINGED program, and ensure data harmonization across different ministries.

He also emphasized the importance of modernizing curricula and enhancing the capacity of statistical human resources so that institutions like ENCE and Polstat STIS can adapt to the dynamics of the digital era. Ongoing projects at IBGE and ENCE include small-area population estimation, digital statistical system research, and the use of AI to analyze public policies. Additionally, there are joint demographic and environmental research collaborations through the 2022 Brazil Census, involving multiple universities and producing significant research outcomes.

In closing, Dr. Jorge affirmed that the key to the success of statistical education institutions lies in maintaining credibility, independence, and public trust in statistical institutions. He expressed hope that cooperation between Polstat STIS and ENCE could be realized through faculty and student exchanges, seminars, joint research, and collaborative project development.

This collaboration is expected to become a strategic step toward strengthening statistical innovation, expanding international partnerships, and driving the transformation of statistics toward a sustainable and inclusive digital era.