[lg policy] Revitalizing language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Revitalizing language policy
Setiono Sugiharto, Contributor, Jakarta | Expose | Sun, March 10 2013, 3:56 PM


Paper Edition | Page: 6

Since the demise of the noted Indonesian language experts Sutan Takdir
Alisjahbana and Anton M. Moeliono, not many Indonesian language
scholars have been passionate in devoting their profession to issues
on the politics of language and language planning. The absence of
studies and published research related to these central topics speaks
volumes and many local language pundits seem to be ignorant of the
importance of bringing these topics to the fore.

In most multilingual communities, language planning is deemed vital
for language maintenance, language reform, language standardization,
language revitalization, and language modernization. Although,
admittedly, language planning is hardly a novel topic of discussion
within the field of linguistics, its relevance to other separate, yet
related disciplines such as education, language teaching, sociology,
and literacy cannot be downplayed.

Alwasilah’s contribution through the publication of Pokoknya Rekayasa
Literasi (Nothing but Literacy Engineering) is very opportune indeed.
This is especially true, given that the policy of language education
in Indonesia has recently been in limbo.
The book reflects its author’s great concerns over the fate of
national education, which he observes has gone astray and been swept
away by the global current. Alwasilah fears that Indonesia’s wealth of
local geniuses as well as local wisdom will come to an end, unless
they are made use of as a solid foundation for the system of national
education.

This fear is based on his observation that “national education […]
fails to nurture students with the knowledge and life skills necessary
for a meaningful and harmonious life in the context of multicultural
Indonesia”. Without nullifying the values of Western culture and
educational products, which have gradually seeped into local language,
culture and education, Alwasilah begs the reader to be tough-minded in
dealing with new ideas, not in just simply blindly adopting these
products.

The thesis he proposes in this book is the important notion of
ethnopedagogy, which he defines as “a kind of education which is based
on local wisdom”. To keep abreast of the demands of the modern global
world, Alwasilah is cognizant of the fact that this may sound
obsolete, saying instead that this type of education needs continuous
reinterpretation in light of the challenges it may face in this modern
changing world.

What is enlightening to the reader is the re-conceptualization of the
term literacy. Viewing the conventional term of literacy as
simplistic, Alwasilah redefines the term by delineating six
fundamental principles of literacy — principles which clearly extend
the traditional scope of literacy. This reorientation of literacy is
deliberately highlighted so that the reader will be aware that being
literate in their own language and culture is a must because it can
serve as a powerful tool for countering and resisting the language
hegemony and imperialism imposed by other languages and cultures.

Thus, the maintenance and then the empowerment of local wisdom (i.e.
the revitalization of local language and the promotion of local
culture among others) is seen as the best cultural strategy to strike
a balance against the dominance of other languages and cultures. No
less important is the insight of the author’s proposal of liberal
education. Seemingly discontent with the present system of national
education, Alwasilah tries to open the eyes of the reader to the
urgency of liberal education to be applied in the country.

This book, it goes without saying, offers a wealth of factual details
regarding the problems of the national education system in general and
language education in particular. Samples essays on the relevant
topics discussed are provided in each chapter, further enriching the
readers’ insights into the topic.

What’s more, written by an author hailing from Sundanese ethnicity,
this book contains a genuine and critical voice of a scholar from the
periphery, and therefore deserves to be heard by either other
periphery scholars or scholars from the center. It is also an
important reference for policy makers and language pundits. Yet,
readers, especially those from other languages and cultures, may cast
a suspicion that the book is too Sundanese-centric, exclusively
exposing cases of the Sundanese language and culture and bringing
varied perspectives from this language and culture.

As such, it behoves them to critically weigh pieces of evidence and
examples offered by the author and to question the assumptions
proposed by virtue of their culture, language, and literacy tradition.

Pokoknya Rekayasa Literasi
(Nothing but Literacy Engineering)
A. Chaedar Alwasilah
Kiblat, 2012
280 pages


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