0 New curriculum brings fear to scholars, students

The newly-introduced 2013 national education curriculum has triggered restlessness among students and scholars of Balinese literacy in the resort island of Bali, who fear that the curriculum will ruin their future. I Made Dwi Septian Cahyadi, 23, has been preparing for his graduation from the Balinese literary program at Hindu Dharma Institute (IHDN) in Denpasar. Since choosing the study, the native of Jembrana in eastern Bali has been dreaming of becoming a Balinese language teacher. 

But now, the implementation of the 2013 curriculum confuses him. “I don’t have any idea what I will do after my graduation. At first, I wanted to work as a Balinese language teacher. But the new curriculum has crushed my dream,” Dwi told Bali Daily on Friday. The 2013 curriculum plans to remove the Balinese language as a subject at elementary and junior high schools, as well as senior high schools. Local language will be incorporated in the art and culture lessons. The new curriculum will see the incorporation of several main subjects into one new lesson. 

It stipulates that “local content”, or unique subjects taught only in schools in specific regions, will be integrated into the art and culture classes. Obviously a local content in Bali’s schools, the Balinese language will be merged with art and culture lessons, thus limiting students’ opportunities to learn the language. “If the Balinese language subject is deleted from the curriculum, how about my fate and the fate of thousands of students that are now studying the Balinese language?” Dwi questioned. I Wayan Jatiyasa, a Balinese literature lecturer of STKIP Agama Hindu in Amlapura, Karangasem regency, is also anxious. 

“Today there are about 800 students of Balinese literacy at STKIP Agama Hindu Amlapura. Thousands of students are also learning Balinese in many other schools, institutes and universities in Bali. I wonder whether they can get any job after graduation,” Jatiyasa said. Due to the lack of attention from the local government to help preserve the Balinese language subject, recently students, scholars and other stakeholders in Bali have formed the Alliance of People Who Care About the Local Language of Bali. This Alliance filed a petition to the Bali Legislative Council on Friday morning to support their cause. 

“We really regretted the lack of effort from the local government to preserve our language. The situation is worsening. The Balinese language will likely be removed from the curriculum,” I Nyoman Suka Ardiyasa, leader of the alliance said. Suka, who is currently Balinese language lecturer at IHDN in Denpasar, said: “We have been informed that the central government will no longer host the competence examination for Balinese language teachers. This is a sign that Balinese language teachers have been ruled out as they cannot get certification anymore,” Suka said. 

In the meeting with Commission IV Bali Legislative Council, the alliance demanded that the council lobby the central government to revise the new curriculum and avoid deleting the Balinese language subject. They also asked the governor to issue a Governor Decree (Pergub) that specially regulates the Balinese language as a compulsory subject for students throughout Bali. “The governor has promised to issue the governor decree. We really hope that he will fulfill his promise,” Suka said. Bali has a 1992 bylaw on language, letters and literature that clearly stipulates the need to teach, develop and preserve the Balinese language. 

“We hope the council could revise the bylaw so that it stated that the Balinese language is a compulsory subject for schools in Bali,” he stressed. The Chairman of Commission IV, Nyoman Parta, promised to fight for the Balinese language subject. “We will hold a meeting that invites provincial and regional education agencies throughout Bali to solve this issue,” Parta said.

source : bali daily