Public Communication Gaps in Banten’s Sarjana Penggerak Desa Program

Abstract

The 2025 Sarjana Penggerak Desa Program is one of the policy initiatives of the Banten Provincial Government designed to accelerate rural development by strengthening human resource capacity at the village level. This article examines the communication process of the Banten Provincial Government in implementing the program. The analysis focuses on the communication channels used and on how village governments and program beneficiaries interpret the policy messages delivered through the program. This study employs a qualitative approach with a single case study design and is grounded in a social constructivist paradigm. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis. The informants included provincial government actors, technical implementing agencies, village government officials, and program beneficiaries. The data were analyzed thematically using Phil Jones’ strategic communication perspective, particularly in relation to audience orientation, message consistency, communication channel selection, and feedback mechanisms. The findings reveal a meaning gap in the implementation of the Sarjana Penggerak Desa Program. The provincial government positions the program as a strategic investment in village human resource development. Some village actors, however, understand it mainly as an administrative responsibility, while beneficiaries tend to perceive it as financial support for education. This difference in interpretation emerges because the communication pattern remains largely hierarchical and administrative. Policy messages flow from the provincial government to technical agencies, then move through district and subdistrict levels before reaching village governments as the main intermediaries. Formal documents, technical guidelines, WhatsApp-based coordination, face-to-face meetings, and social media help maintain procedural clarity in program implementation. Nevertheless, these channels have not fully developed a shared understanding among stakeholders. This article concludes that the effectiveness of policy communication cannot be assessed only by whether information has been delivered. It must also be measured by the extent to which communication builds shared meaning, community ownership, and public participation. Therefore, rural development programs require a more participatory, audience-oriented, and dialogic communication model to support their long-term sustainability.