KOTA BELUD: Datuk Ewon Benedick, the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, is taking steps to address the issues surrounding the teaching of the Kadazandusun language (BKD) at educational institutes by reaching out to the Education Ministry and Higher Education Ministry.
Benedick intends to discuss these challenges with Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in order to find appropriate solutions and enhance the teaching of the language.
Concerns have arisen among BKD teachers due to the fact that the ethnic language field is not included in the recruitment of teachers for 2023 at teaching institutes. If the BKD subject is no longer offered at these institutes, Benedick emphasizes the importance of strengthening the program at higher learning institutions where the language is currently only offered as a minor and elective subject like at Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
Benedick stated, “The BKD program must be empowered to meet the demand for competent teachers in the Kadazandusun language, as well as fill the workforce in various fields such as reporting, radio emcees, television, tourist guides, and lecturers. Additionally, offering the ethnic language field would also promote research in language, culture, and literature.”
During the Kota Belud district level BKD carnival on Friday (July 14), Benedick expressed the belief that events like these play a vital role in preserving the Kadazandusun language and culture to prevent them from becoming extinct in the future.
Next year, Benedick hopes to expand the carnival to encourage more participation from primary and secondary schools that offer Kadazandusun language classes. The two-day carnival, which welcomed over 1,000 pupils and students from around the district, marked its return after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Benedick also called for programs outside of the classroom that involve the Kadazandusun language, aiming to deepen the younger generation’s understanding and expose them to the community’s culture.
He stressed, “I hope that teachers and parents can work together to ensure that the language and culture of our ethnic group are passed on to future generations.” Furthermore, he urged other ethnic associations to organize similar carnivals as the BKD Carnival organized by the Kadazandusun language teachers council.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
