Archeology and Geography students Febriska Noor Fitriana and Frinsen Johny Hutagalung were named runners-up in the 2021 Yogyakarta Provincial Language Ambassador competition held on Friday (1/10).
“There are still incorrect uses of the Indonesian language, especially in writing. For example, some people still can’t tell the difference between a proper terima kasih (thank you, which should be written separately) and di- as a preposition to indicate the location and a prefix to indicate the passive form. Also, some words and their Indonesian equivalents have not been promoted optimally yet,” said Febriska, Friday (22/10).
As Language Ambassadors, she continued, they have three priority tasks to do. First, they need to participate in the development and improvement of community literacy. They are tasked with campaigning for the proper use of language in public spaces and organizing language and literature education activities through foreign language classes, seminars, and language and literature exhibitions.
“So, our programs refer to the trigatra, namely prioritizing the Indonesian language, preserving local languages, and mastering foreign languages,” added Febriska, who is also the 2020 Yogyakarta Provincial Museum Ambassador.
Febriska said that she would focus on providing workshops, seminars, and online literacy games, such as guessing Javanese numbers. Meanwhile, Frinsen will work on programs called Literacy Superweb and Literacy Corner. The Literacy Superweb is a digital platform that provides integrated services to increase literacy and agility to think and foster a sense of innovation. The Literacy Corner is a public space to spread knowledge and instill moral values in accordance with national identity.
Secretary of the Department of Archeology Sektiadi applauded the students for their achievements. He hopes their title as Language Ambassadors can improve people’s ability to speak good and correct Indonesian.
“We, as lecturers, are happy because an Archeology student can excel and participate in competitive activities. It takes a lot of hard work and effort to get achievement, especially in areas that are not specifically taught by the Department,” explained Sektiadi.
Author: Aji