Language Agency Emphasises Women's Role in Building Children's Literacy Foundation

The Language Development and Cultivation Agency (Badan Bahasa) of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has emphasised the importance of women’s role in building the foundation of children’s literacy from an early age.

This assertion was made during a seminar titled “Women’s Empowerment through Education to Enhance Literacy” held in Jakarta on Wednesday. The event spotlighted the contributions of mothers and educators as primary actors in nurturing a culture of reading and writing in children’s environments.

Head of the Badan Bahasa Kemendikdasmen, Hafidz Muksin, stated that improving literacy cannot be solely entrusted to classroom teachers. According to him, literacy is a collective responsibility that begins in the family environment.

“Improving literacy is not just the task of teachers, but a shared responsibility that starts from the child’s closest environment,” Hafidz said.

During the event, Badan Bahasa presented best practices from literacy activists in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) province. They are part of the Indonesia School Children’s Innovation (INOVASI) programme, an education partnership between the Indonesian and Australian governments.

Hafidz assessed that the involvement of female figures and the local ecosystem in NTT serves as a concrete example of successful collaboration in enhancing children’s literacy.

“We are presenting figures from NTT to share best practices on how the regional ecosystem, from Literacy Mothers, school principals, teachers, to reading garden forums, work together to foster reading interest,” he said.

He explained that strengthening literacy must encompass three main domains: school, community, and family. These three need to operate in tandem for more optimal results.

According to Hafidz, women play a central role in enlivening literacy culture at home, particularly through storytelling and reading habits to children from an early age.

This role is deemed essential before children enter formal education, so that the literacy foundation is already formed from the start.

Furthermore, Hafidz hopes that the best practices running in NTT can be replicated in other regions in Indonesia.

He mentioned that Badan Bahasa has previously held similar events emphasising the use of mother tongues or regional languages in early classes as part of strategies to improve learning.