Revitalizing Literacy through Ethnic Literature

Revitalizing Literacy through Ethnic Literature

Arranged by Syarifah Khuraesin

1413132055

Literacy is fully essential to social and human development in its ability to transform lives. Once these skills are acquired, the reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to apply to printed material critical analysis, inference and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from the text as the basis for informed decision and creative thought. Despite the literacy is essential, but the literacy rate of Indonesian students is comparatively low. It have shown that language education and language policy has failed to develop competitive literacy even among intellectuals. Thus, the literacy should be revitalize through literature. Any proposed solution should adress on three major relates aspects: language policy, curriculum, and teachers.

First aspect is language policy. As multilingual and multicultural country, Indonesian language policy stated that bahasa or Indonesian language is a nationalist symbol while local languages are cultural symbols. Actually in Indonesia, local languages or mother tongue is the first language, and bahasa is second language. It cause English became a third language. In fact, success in teaching literature is depend on the success in teaching ethnic literature and Indonesian literature. Hence, the first thing that we must do is improving the students interest of ethnic literature and develop the students appreciation of local literature. In addition, we need to redefine the current language policy of ethnic languages and their literature.

Next is curriculum aspect. Many educators claim that the teaching of Bahasa nowadays, including literature is far from ideal. The allocated hours for the subject are not sufficient for teaching the language. As a result, there is appear suggestion that the Bahasa and Indonesian literature should be separated with more hours allocated. Whereas, literature is inseparable from language. It means that those curricular issue are false. So, we have to redesign the curriculum by repositioning literature in our curriculum not as separated subject but as a part of  Bahasa.

The last aspect is teachers. However, teaching literature is not simple. Literature should be taught by professional teachers that equipped by competency in literature attitude, literacy reading skills, and literacy teaching skills. Moreover, teachers should have to change the student's non-literary attitude to the literary one and motivated students with literacy reading skills. Literacy attitude also referred to as tone, is the perspective or attitude that adopts by tha author with regard to specific character, place, or development. Therefore, the teacher's quality skills should be improved by teacher training so that they will become a professional teachers.

In conclusion, although the literacy is essential, but the literacy rate of Indonesian students is comparatively low. We have to revitalize the literacy through literature, especially ethnic literature and Indonesian literature. There are three solution to revitalize the literacy. First, we need to  redefine the current language policy of ethnic languages and their literature. Second is we need to redesign the curriculum by repositioning literature. And the last solution is by improving teacher skills through teacher training in order to they become professional teachers.