Is omitting English a solution?

When reading the article recently posted in The Jakarta Post “Govt to omit English from primary schools”, I could not help but think of my 3-year-old son Ben. 

If the government scraps English in the elementary school curriculum, schools that provide alternative inputs for English acquisition will disappear and eventually the possibility of acquiring English formally for young learners like Ben will be wiped out. 

From the article and the discourse surrounding the plan, the underlying reason for such a drastic curriculum revamp is unclear, if not empirically unfounded. 

Deputy Education and Culture Minister for Education Musliar Kasim stated two primary reasons for the omission. First is because “elementary school students haven’t even learned to understand the Indonesian language yet” and second, it is because the growing trend in teaching English in kindergartens. 

When skimming the articles as to why this move came about, one thing is obvious that the policy is simply based on assumptions. 

The government assumes that children cannot learn two or three languages at the same time and thus, the teaching of English needs to be postponed until they have mastered Indonesian, although this might be hard to measure. 

The concern about English exposure that might lead to low Indonesian proficiency, or lack of it, looks understandable. In a country with hundreds of local languages, a strong lingua franca, Indonesian, is crucial to unify the many ethnic groups and local languages. 

Second, although not stated in the article, there has been a widespread belief that the enthusiasm to learn English, especially in big cities, might correlate to low nationalism. Those who speak English or code-switch between Indonesian and English are deemed to have a relatively lower nationalism than those who only speak Indonesian.

The new focus on character education for elementary school students also shows fear that exposure to English might adversely affect the characters of young Indonesian learners. Implied in the belief is a one-dimensional view of language and identities, which insists that cultivating good Indonesian citizens can only be done through the teaching and learning of the Indonesian language.

However, being immersed in an English-only culture while I was pursuing a PhD degree in the US taught me otherwise. 

It was during my time in the US, surrounded predominantly by monolingual English speakers and the English-language culture that I felt truly Indonesian. In fact, my heightened awareness of being an Indonesian sparked a fear of losing my Indonesian self and the Indonesian language. This phenomenon is supported by David Nunan and Julia Choi, two notable linguists. 

In their recently published book Language and Culture: Reflective Narratives and the Emergence of Identity, they say that “most people are unaware of their culture or identity until they are confronted with other cultures and identities”. 

My experience, as well as Nunan and Choi’s argument, may challenge the one-dimensional view of one language, one identity the education ministry is adopting. Exposure to other languages, including English, in elementary schools may instead strengthen students’ characters as Indonesians.

I support inclusion of English in elementary schools also because I believe children can learn more than one language at once as literature on bilingualism and multilingualism has convincingly shown. 

Chomsky attributed the flexibility children acquire languages in early age to the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) in their brains and thus, believes that children have the “innate” ability to learn languages.

So, should English in elementary schools remain? My answer is yes and no. Yes, elementary schools (in this case public schools) need to continue to offer English as a school subject or, if possible, medium of instruction. 

The New York Times (Oct. 28, 2012) published a study titled “Low English levels can hurt countries’ progress” by Charles Anderson, who says that countries with poor English-language commands tend to have lower levels of trade, innovation and income. 

The report concludes that English is a key to innovation and competitiveness. However, my strong belief in our children’s need for English does not mean that English teaching and learning in elementary schools should not be reevaluated and revisited. 

As a mother, I do not want my children to grow up speaking fluent English but unable to speak Indonesian and dishonoring Indonesian values and ethics. 

There is a need to renew paradigms in English-language teaching departments, which produce English teachers. The teaching of English is not a medium to emulate Western values and cultures but to use English to promote our culture and values to the world, or the so-called English as International Language (EIL) pedagogy.

The initiative to scrap English from public elementary schools evinces evidence of the government’s lack of awareness of the way English is now taught and presented in the classroom. 

Omitting English, especially because of mere assumptions, is not the way to develop competence in Indonesian or to enhance desirable characteristics in young Indonesian learners.

The writer, a Fulbright scholar, completed her PhD in Composition and TESOL at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She teaches at the faculty of language and literature, Satya Wacana Christian University, Salatiga.

Conclusion

Government will ommiting the English language lessons from elementary school because they assume that children cannot learn two or three languages at the same time and thus, the teaching of English needs to be postponed until they have mastered Indonesian, although this might be hard to measure. And those who speak English or code-switch between Indonesian and English are deemed to have a relatively lower nationalism than those who only speak Indonesian. Omitting English, especially because of mere assumptions, is not the way to develop competence in Indonesian or to enhance desirable characteristics in young Indonesian learners.

Reflection

I have read the text above, it is good article that I enjoy  reading this article. I think English is a world language that must be learned and mastered, especially in today's global competition. to master a language takes a long time therefore to learn English need to be taught from an early age. in fact, although English is taught from kindergarten to college, but not sure they can speak English fluently. with demikia, the question arises in my mind, how can the English language in clear it is a solution?

Slumdog Millionaire Critism

The latest video of Jai Ho by the Pussycat Dolls is the latest testimony in a string of appraisal for the Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. The movie won eight Oscars including two for music maestro A.R. Rehman. Although, the film was directed by an Englishman by the name of Danny Boyle, it featured a predominantly Indian cast that was set in India. So given all the publicity and hype that Slumdog has generated worldwide, especially in the USA, one wonders if the success of the movie is good for the nation’s image or does it show people how gruesome and miserable life can be in our country?

The Good…

The point of view that most Indians would like to take is that the movie did the image the country a lot of good. From a simplistic point of view, the fact that it featured Indian cast from Bollywood gave our actors and professionals a chance to showcase their talents and skills on the grandest stage of them all. From veterans like Anil Kapoor to debutante Frieda Pinto, the actors gained critical and public acclaim. This spells good news for our cinema industry that is trying hard to establish itself in foreign countries. Although, the movie starts off bad, it ends off on a positive note with Jamal winning twenty million rupees and also getting the love of his life. At heart, the story is deeply Indian, of a person who starts out humble but then emerges a winner defeating prejudice, poverty and overcoming all obstacles. Today, as the economies of the US and Europe seem to falter, the Indian economy is still going strong although it has lost steam. It reminds western audiences how India is going to be a major player in the world economy and international affairs in the coming years. The growth of India has indeed provided opportunities to the underprivileged and lifted many out of poverty.

The Bad…

Although, the movie has a happy ending one cannot help but notice how gruesome, inhuman and gross the beginning is. The slums are shown as havens of crime, communalism, violence, misery and poverty. Jamal’s mother is killed in a riot, forcing him to live on the streets and later he is abducted by people who make money out of child beggars. The atrocities are simply ghastly and one wonders what kind of impression all this leaves on the mind of the Westerner about India. The world has taken note of a rising India but paradoxes still exist and this movie brilliantly showcases how there is a dark side to the success story of India. While Infosys and Wipro mint money and the Ambanis and Mittal climb on the Forbes list of the richest people on the planet, millions are starving and dying each year in the country. There is mass poverty and degrading life standards in the slums and villages of India. The movie definitely forces a person who can relate to the India Shining story think about this nation again.

I feel that on the whole among the hype of Slumdog Millionaire, India emerges out a winner, just like Jamal does. Accepted that there are still pressing issues with our country like regional and communal divides, poverty, low quality of life, illiteracy and the ever-growing population but the movie definitely forces one to consider that there are always two sides of the coin. India has been a rich land since ancient times and it was the imperialistic exploitation of the British that turned the “Golden Sparrow” into a nation of the poor and uneducated. Now, with the economy steaming on, the film reminds the audience that despite the multitude of crippling problems that India faces, she will turn out to be a winner one day and take her rightful place on the world stage, be it destiny, if you will.

Ohh dear.. How students get a good achievement if they are not serious to get it ?

Learning  is the most important quality of a good student,  Most of students know that duties of student is learning, there is not person disagreed with it, 9 person from 20 students strongly agreed, and the rest agreed. But, I think  it is just as desire. Because , based on my observation many of them seems  do not do something to improve their quality as students. Here are a few negative thing that student usually to do like hanging out too often or put off doing assignment.

First, some students loves hanging out.  When it comes to hanging out with friends, one can be sure that it is going to be absolutely amusing and unlimited fun. The talks seem to go on forever and any silly topic can become a point of lengthy discussions. Be it the latest trend in jewelry, the latest gadgets, old classic movies, the cute neighbor next door, work related pressures, there is no end to the list. Consider it is as daily routine. They also do that at silent way that must be prepare for final examination. How to do our exam  when we spend more time for have fun with hanging out too often ?. This is actually wrong to hang out too often, moreover during silent way. It could interfere students in learning. When you come home late at night and sleep deprivation will cause to be late go to college. Doing it at silent way also make students do not have time to learn to prepare final examination

According my observation, 75 percent students consider an assignment is a burden. They also put off doing home assignment. Therefore Many students pride themselves on their ability to attend to several tasks at once. it is ultimately terrible do all assignment at the same time. of course it can cause undue stress.

In short, I’d like to say when we are a student would be better if we are reducing the time to play and hang out. While at silent way, it is a week that is devoted to prepare for final that is no time for hang out. And actually, as students we need to run our duties to improve our quality. Not only a desire but also a serious learning to get a good achievement. Exactly we will get boring or “headache” with habits as students that just learning. We can do refreshing and hang out on a weekend or during free time which does not interfere with learning, or do possitive thing to social around us.

Simpang Lima "GUMUL" Kediri's Icon

Simpang Lima Gumul monument is one of the icons of the local attractions that has build to economic center in Kediri, East Java. People called Simpang Lima kediri Gumul as Kediri Kaaba, because when you walk along the Simpang Lima Gumul must surround the monument that shaped like a box of Kaaba. Very often the people passed continue as excessive lane turns. This Gumul Simpang Lima monument area is ​​804 square meters with the building height to 25 meters and riveted three steps as high as 3 meters from the ground floor. These figures illustrate the date, month, year, anniversary of Kediri, namely 25 March 804 AD. On the four sides of the monument there are statues of Ganesha that symbol of kediri district. The content of Monument to the meeting rooms in the main building and auditorium hall on the upper floor that has roof like dome. There are multipurpose room in the "basement", diorama on the top floor and a mini market that selling souvenirs in the basement. This monument that have build must giving welfare to west of East Java, especially Kediri Regency. 

Sundanese Wedding Ceremony

Guys, I want to show you some common practices from a traditional Sundanese (West Java) wedding ceremony, they are :

Welcoming the bridegroom ceremony

• The bridegroom is welcomed with the umbul-umbul, a decoration indicating that a wedding ceremony is going on, which is also auspicious for the bridegroom.
• The welcome is followed by a procession of ladies with candles. They pray to the Almighty seeking His blessing in order that there maybe no hindrances in the ceremony.
• The showering of flowers by the dancers is symbolic of a fragrant future for the couple.
• The umbrella held over the couple's heads, apart from serving as a protective symbol, indicates esteem and respect.
• The mother of the bride gives the bridegroom a garland of flowers indicating his acceptability to the family.
• The mother of the bride gives the bridegroom a keris, a hidden message to the son-in-law not to be disheartened while toiling for his family.

Wedding ceremony

The bride and groom are seated next to each other with a selendang or veil covering their heads indicating two people but having one mind.

The bride and groom bend forward and kiss the knees of their parents, called sungkem, asking for forgiveness and blessing and reassuring them that they will continue to serve their parents.

Sawer

This ceremony should take place in front of the sawer or gargoyle. The water flowing from the gargoyle indicates the continuous flow of priceless parental love for their children.

The bride and groom are seated under an umbrella in front of the entrance to the house. There are two singers, a man and a woman, who sing on behalf of the parents. The song, called kidung, advises the couple to treat each other well, living in harmony, and serves as a prayer to the Almighty to bless the couple.

Then the sawer is showered on the couple. It consists of:

Turmeric rice Rice is a sign of prosperity and yellow stands for everlasting love

Coins Reminding the couple to share their wealth with the less fortunate

Candy Indicates sweetness and fragrance throughout their marriage

A betel nut set near the couple is a reminder that their different customs should not spoil their harmonious marriage.

nincak endog

Nincak Endog

This is the egg breaking ceremony. The couple are required to stand facing each other in front of the entrance of the house. The bridegroom stands outside the entrance and the bride is inside the entrance.

This ceremony is conducted by the lady in charge of the bridal makeup and serves as advice to the couple for their happiness and long wedded life.

The following items are used:

a. Harupat, seven broomsticks, are burnt and thrown away symbolizing the discarding of bad habits which endanger one. s married life.

b. An egg is broken, indicating that the groom will be the master of the house henceforth and the bride will serve him.

c. Ajug, seven candles, represents the direction the couple should follow to ensure a happy married life.

d. Elekon, hollow bamboo, which symbolizes emptiness.

e. Kendi, an earthen water jug filled with water, which stands for peace.

f. In the past, unmarried girls were not allowed to cross over logs. Here the bride is made to cross the log as a sign that she will always obey her husband.

The lady in charge of the ceremony gives the bride the harupat. The groom lights the harupat with theajug. Then the flames are put out and the sticks are broken and thrown away. After the groom breaks the egg with his right foot, the bride cleans the groom's foot with the water from the kendi. Then the bride throws the kendi to break it.

Then the couple are escorted to the house. The bride crosses the log and enters the house while the groom remains outside to perform the buka pintu ceremony.

Buka Pintu

This is a dialogue between the bride and groom in front of the house. However, they are represented by a couple who also sings for them. First, the couple knocks three times on the door, then enters into a dialogue whereby permission is requested by the groom to enter the bride's house. The bride consents on the condition that the groom will say the syahadat (confirming his Moslem faith). The song also solemnizes the importance of the nuptial ceremony.

Huap Lingkung

Symbolic of the last time the parents of the bride will feed their daughter. This is also the first dish prepared by the daughter in her new home. The dish consists of turmeric sticky rice with yellow spiced chicken on top of it.

Patarik-Tarik Bakakak

The couple are given a barbecued spiced chicken. On hearing the word . go. from the lady conducting the ceremony, the couple has to pull the chicken apart. The one who gets the larger piece supposedly will bring in the larger share of the family fortune. This ceremony also serves to remind the couple to encourage each other to work hard together to gain good fortune.

I Disappointed

Yesterday..
We make a friend
Told about young stories
Both hearts as one
Little finger like a promise

Many people said about your darkness
It did not make me trustless
Although two minutes

Nowdays..I aware
You never  listen when I give suggest
You never hear when I give advice too

ohh damn..
I shock to know what you said
You told them what I didn't it.
I fall in the mad
I disappointed

( leave comments and corrections please...^^)

Descreabing People (New comer singer)

ALIKA “PRINCESS”

Alika Islamadina Charisma was born in Sydney on 24 June 1994. She likes reading, singing, chatting, and phoning. Since the age of 16, she began solo singing into the entertainment world stage with his new album, entitled “My Secret Room” which was created of the famous musician Lil Widianto. In her new album, there are 4 songs that are songs from the song Lil Widianto recycle. Than in October 2011, Alika joined a Girlband “Princess” which was produced by a youngest producer  in Indonesia, Keyboardist, Song writer and arranger in Vierra band is Kevin Aprilio.
( leave comments and corrections please...^^)

Joined a Demo

I was invited to demo the fuel price hike on the last March. But, Mrs. Restu told us on Facebook before, she would give a quiz at the beginning of the first meeting,  just on that date. I did not want to miss it. Finally, I did not   follow the demo.
The next day, my friend who followed the demo told me , there were riots in the demo. Initially, she was in the front row with high spirit. Then,  there was jostling each other, riots, and the police sprayed tear gas, she immediately fled, to secured themselves from the police which ran after the university students. At  the roadside, there was Angkringan, she sat beside the older man, and eat the friedpieces.
A policeman came and asked her,  "hey, you re who followed demo huh?".
she said "no, what is the evidence that I followed the demo?  ask my dad side".
 “She is my daughter , she was with me here for a while ago” the older man said.
A policeman left them.
She gave thank too much to the older man who helped her. She did not want follow a demo anymore.
( leave comments and corrections please...^^)