Hundreds of students, scholars and community leaders staged a rally on Thursday to oppose the Education and Culture Ministry’s plan to introduce a new school curriculum that would see the Balinese language being incorporated into art and culture lessons. The protesters declared that the new curriculum would pose a grave threat to the existence of Balinese language and culture and demanded the ministry to revise the curriculum.
“We strongly reject the ministry’s plan to remove Balinese language as a subject from the curriculum and integrate it into culture and art. If the ministry issues the policy, the ministry would be the one playing a big role in destroying our local culture,” said I Gede Nala Antara, chairman of the Balinese Language and Literature Advisory Board. The rally in the compound of the Bali Legislative Council in Renon was timed to take place during the visit of the technical team from the ministry’s curriculum center, which was slated to present the local legislators with information on the new draft curriculum.
The protesters carried posters and banners lambasting the new curriculum and ensured their voices were heard by the team and the attending legislators. The plan to remove Balinese language as a subject is in line with the streamlining of school subjects proposed in the new curriculum, which will see the amalgamation of several different subjects into one. The policy also stipulates that “local content”, or unique subjects taught only in schools in specific regions, will be integrated into “art and culture” classes.
In Bali, the local content affected by this policy is the Balinese language. Consequently, the subject, which is now compulsory in elementary, junior and high schools, will be merged with art and culture, thus limiting students’ opportunities to learn the language. “I can’t understand this way of thinking, how could the ministry have the idea of eliminating our traditional language,” Nala, who also serves as head of the Balinese Language Program in Udayana University, said.
Nala reasoned that members of the team that drafted the new curriculum had probably never read the 1992 bylaw on the Balinese language, which clearly stipulates the need to teach, develop and preserve the language. The Balinese Literary Scholars Association head, Ida Bagus Rai Putra, added that the Balinese language was a very emotional topic for the Balinese people. “Balinese language is the essence of our civilization. Language is the crown of Balinese culture. If we talk about trees, language is the root of our culture.
Eliminating the Balinese language means that you try to eliminate the Balinese,” he said. Made Titib, rector of The Hindu Dharma Institute (IHDN) Denpasar, thought the plan to eliminate the local language from the curriculum was a grand strategy to destroy local wisdom. “If the local wisdom has been destroyed, foreign culture will come. We will lose everything,” the professor said. Titib was sure that the constitutional court would reject the policy as it was against the constitution.
“If the central government insists on issuing the policy, Bali will also insist on rejecting it,” he emphasized. A member of the ministry’s technical team, Ariantoni, said that the team would record all the input presented in the meeting, including the protesters’ objections, and bring them to the attention of the minister. He stressed that the ministry had no intention of eliminating the local culture. “The policy is actually made to help students get a better education. We will reduce some subjects.
But as many Balinese have rejected this plan, we will consider all the suggestions,” he said. The actual state of Balinese language on a daily basis is a contested issue among Balinese scholars due to the lack of any comprehensive research on the subject. Many scholars believe that the language is dying as an increasing number of young Balinese prefer to speak in Indonesian. On the other hand, a large number of scholars cite the growing listener base of radio programs in the Balinese language, as well as the increasing popularity of Balinese pop singers who sing exclusively in Balinese as evidence that the language is actually very alive among youngsters.
source : bali daily
source : bali daily
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar