PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The revitalization of regional languages is a form of effort to slow the rate of extinction of regional languages. According to the Head of Language Development and Development Agency E. Aminudin Aziz, the gradual extinction of regional languages throughout the world is inevitable due to many factors. What can be done now to make it easier is to revitalize it.

"So revitalization is not preventing extinction, but slowing down the time of extinction. That's what we can do now," said Aminudin, at the opening of the 2024 Regional Language Revitalization Implementation Coordination Meeting in West Java, with the Heads of West Java Education Services, in Bandung, Sunday (17/3/2024)

According to Aminudin, efforts to revitalize regional languages have been carried out since 2021 by the Language Development and Development Agency of the Ministry of Education and Culture. In West Java, these efforts have shown quite good progress.

"There are more and more speakers of regional languages, especially among the early school age groups, namely elementary and middle school. "In this revitalization, the main step taken is to provide as wide an opportunity as possible for elementary to middle school students to use regional languages at school, including in the introduction of subjects," he said.

Another effort made to revitalize regional languages is by increasing competitions related to regional languages, called the Indonesian Mother Language Shoot Festival (FTBI).

"Every year, FTBI is carried out in stages starting from the sub-district, district/city, provincial to national level. "In law, regional heads have the main responsibility for preserving and developing regional languages," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Head of the West Java Language Center, Herawati, in her report said that the Coordination Meeting for the Implementation of Regional Language Revitalization in West Java will last for 3 days, from 17-19 March 2024.

"This was followed by the West Java Education Department, to unite and equalize perceptions and evaluations in formulating policies regarding regional language revitalization efforts, starting from the national provincial to district/city level," he concluded. (Pun's rep)