FOLLOW UP PLANS INDONESIA

What have you heard/learned? Mother tongue provides vital learning facilities. In the mean time that facility is hidden in children’s classroom, and unfortunately teachers and educators are reluctant to explore and use this facility. The reason of exclusion and low participation in education is not only poverty, disease, access but also LANGUAGE i.e. the neglect of mother tongue as a medium of instruction

What have you heard/learned? We are convinced that when a child learn mother tongue well they are more ready to learn other languages: i.e. standard national language or foreign language and may achieve even better. We are more convinced that there is a need to make codification of a standard writing system of the mother language i.e. orthographic, and language choice (social varieties and geographical dialects). We are more convinced on the urge need the development of standard system in the mother tongue to facilitate children’s learning and to preserve the language itself.

Most Relevant Message Mother tongue provides vital learning facilities. In the mean time that facility is hidden in classroom instructions, and unfortunately teachers and educators are reluctant to explore and use this facility.

What would you like to change? Teacher training institutions who produce teachers should be made aware of the importance of mother tongue as a bridge language of instruction in preschools and elementary levels of education. Policy makers, teachers, educator, education managers at all levels should change the mind set from thinking that everything is oke with using standard national language as a medium of instruction to using whatever children’s mother tongue is as a bridge language of instruction to gain bigger educational participation We have to change the mindset that strengthening mother tongue will not weaken national unity. We have to change perception that when mother language taught in early childhood education (family) children will not be left behind

Who needs to hear these messages? Key Stakeholders Minister of Education ( i.e. National Center of Indonesian Languages, Directorate of Informal Education, Directorate of Elementary Education, Directorate General for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Personnel PMPTK, National Center for Book Provision/Pusat Perbukuan, Sub Directorate of Literacy Education), Ministry of Underdeveloped Regions (Kementerian Daerah Tertinggal), , Media especially local media, NGOs, Language Teacher Training and Development Center, English Teachers/Courses Teacher Training Institutions Especially Faculty of Science Education who educate teachers

Levels: regional (Southeast Asia): SEAMEO RELC, UNESCO, ASEAN, World Bank, UNICEF; National: idem; Provincial Education Office all Province; local: etnolinguistic communities

How will you communicate the key message with the key stakeholders? Sending a report/working paper to stakeholders Conducting direct advocacy to key stakeholders Advocacy through seminars or conference inviting key persons from other countries having experiences in similar projects Advocacy through media

Additional resources Private Institution Educational Community Based Associations/Foundation