Timor Leste Keeps Indonesian as Compulsory Subject
Students wave Indonesian and Timor-Leste flags when welcoming President Joko Widodo and his delegation in Dili, Timor Leste, January 26 2016 (Photo: Doc/Antara/Widodo S Jusuf).
KBRN, Ende: Indonesian is still maintained as a compulsory subject equivalent to Senior High School/Senior High School (SMA/SLTA) in Timor Leste. However, the local government does not yet have a standardized curriculum for teaching Indonesian.
This reportedly made it difficult for local Indonesian teachers. Especially to determine graduate competency standards for students.
In this regard, the government through the Education and Culture Attaché (Atdikbud) of the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) is helping to provide assistance. Education and Culture Attorney at the Indonesian Embassy in Dili Ikhfan Haris said, this mentoring program is based on collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste.
"The position of the Indonesian language in Timor-Leste itself is still contained in the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL) article 159. Which states that Indonesian is the working language in the civil service side by side with the official language," said Haris in his statement, Thursday (3/8/ 2023).
Furthermore, Haris revealed, his party had conducted trials on the results of the development of the Indonesian language curriculum. This activity was carried out for high school/high school level schools in Ermera District, Timor-Leste.
Also present were the Director General of Curriculum for the Ministry of Education of Timor Leste, Principals, and Indonesian Teachers for Foreign Speakers (Bipa) at the Indonesian Embassy in Dili. The activity was held at Ensino Secundaria Geral (ESG) Nino Conis Santana Ermera for two days.
The participants included 30 Indonesian language teachers spread across all SMA/SLTA schools in the Ermera District, Timor Leste. The Ermera District was chosen as the pilot location, because it has more Indonesian language teachers compared to other districts.
"With the Indonesian language curriculum for SMA/SLTA schools, it is hoped that it can strengthen teacher understanding. As well as being a guide for all high school/high school schools in Timor Leste in teaching Indonesian," said Haris.
He explained that trials for developing the Indonesian language curriculum were planned to be carried out in two districts this year. Namely in Ermera District and Liquica District in September.
The focus is on strengthening Indonesian language teaching methods, peer teaching, and teaching assistance in schools. This activity was facilitated by Bipa teachers at the Indonesian Embassy in Dili.
It is targeted to be implemented in SMA/SLTA schools in Timor Leste starting in the new 2024 school year. Meanwhile, Elishabeth, one of the participants in the trial activity, admitted that she was enthusiastic about participating.
He revealed that this activity was very useful for Indonesian language teachers. Especially, he continued, for high school / high school teachers.
"We are very grateful to the Indonesian Embassy for choosing the Ermera District as the first place for the pilot activities to develop the Indonesian language curriculum. This activity adds insight to Indonesian language teachers in Ermera," he said.
Timor Leste Pertahankan Bahasa Indonesia Jadi Pelajaran Wajib
Para pelajar mengibarkan bendera Indonesia dan Timor-Leste saat menyambut kedatangan Presiden Joko Widodo dan delegasi di Dili, Timor Leste, 26 Januari 2016 (Foto: Dok/Antara/Widodo S Jusuf).
KBRN, Ende: Bahasa Indonesia masih dipertahankan menjadi mata pelajaran wajib setara Sekolah Menengah Atas/Sekolah Lanjutan Tingkat Atas (SMA/SLTA) di Timor Leste. Namun demikian, pemerintah setempat belum memiliki standarisasi kurikulum pengajaran bahasa Indonesia.
Hal tersebut dilaporkan menyulitkan para guru bahasa Indonesia setempat. Terutama untuk menentukan standar kompetensi lulusan bagi para siswa.
Perihal itu, pemerintah melalui Atase Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Atdikbud) Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia (KBRI) membantu memberikan pendampingan. Atdikbud KBRI Dili Ikhfan Haris mengatakan, program pendampingan ini berdasarkan kerja sama dengan Kementerian Pendidikan Timor-Leste.
"Kedudukan bahasa Indonesia di Timor-Leste sendiri masih tertuang pada Konstitusi Republik Demokratik Timor Leste (RDTL) pasal 159. Yang menyatakan bahasa Indonesia menjadi bahasa kerja dalam layanan sipil berdampingan dengan bahasa resmi," kata Haris dalam keterangannya, Kamis (3/8/2023).
Lebih lanjut, Haris mengungkapkan, pihaknya telah melakukan uji coba hasil pengembangan kurikulum bahasa Indonesia. Kegiatan itu dilakukan untuk sekolah setingkat SMA/SLTA di Distrik Ermera, Timor-Leste.
Turut hadir Direktur Jenderal Kurikulum Kementerian Pendidikan Timor Leste, Kepala Sekolah, serta Guru Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing (Bipa) KBRI Dili. Kegiatan dilaksanakan di Ensino Secundaria Geral (ESG) Nino Conis Santana Ermera digelar selama dua hari.
Pesertanya meliputi 30 guru bahasa Indonesia tersebar di seluruh sekolah SMA/SLTA di Distrik Ermera, Timor Leste. Dipilihnya Distrik Ermera sebagai lokasi uji coba, karena memiliki guru bahasa Indonesia lebih banyak dibandingkan dengan distrik lainnya.
“Dengan adanya kurikulum bahasa Indonesia bagi sekolah SMA/SLTA diharapkan dapat memperkuat pemahaman guru. Serta menjadi panduan seluruh sekolah SMA/SLTA di Timor Leste dalam mengajarkan bahasa Indonesia,” kata Haris.
Dijelaskan, uji coba pengembangan kurikulum bahasa Indonesia direncanakan akan dilaksanakan di dua distrik pada tahun ini. Yakni di Distrik Ermera dan Distrik Liquica pada bulan September mendatang.
Fokusnya adalah penguatan metode pengajaran bahasa Indonesia, pengajaran sejawat, serta pendampingan pengajaran di sekolah. Kegiatan tersebut difasilitasi oleh pengajar Bipa KBRI Dili.
Ditargetkan dapat diimplementasikan sekolah SMA/SLTA di Timor Leste mulai tahun ajaran baru 2024 mendatang. Sementara itu, Elishabeth, salah satu peserta kegiatan uji coba mengaku, antusias mengikuti.
Ia mengungkapkan, kegiatan ini sangat bermanfaat bagi guru bahasa Indonesia. Terutama, sambungnya, pada para pengajar sekolah SMA/SLTA.
“Kami sangat berterima kasih kepada KBRI karena telah memilih Distrik Ermera sebagai tempat pertama untuk kegiatan uji coba pengembangan kurikulum bahasa Indonesia. Kkegiatan ini menambah wawasan bagi guru bahasa Indonesia di Ermera,” ujarnya.