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Bahasa Indonesia Fluency Requirement
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:53 pm    Post subject: Bahasa Indonesia Fluency Requirement Reply with quote

There has recently been talk that fluency in the national tongue, Bahasa Indonesia, will now be required of all expats. The regulation has apparently existed for years but will be enforced starting December 2014.

Has anyone heard about this new requirement in their schools? There were apparently some whispers you won't be examined until the end of your first contract to give you a chance to learn it. The whole idea seems like such a nonsense that it's hard to believe they are serious. Any updates on this issue?

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.org/showthread.php/46252-Any-truth-on-new-Law-concerning-teacher-expat-come-December-2014/page4
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likwid_777



Joined: 04 Nov 2012
Posts: 411
Location: NA

PostPosted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haha! Indonesia is sounding like more of a joke than ever. Goodbye, mild remaining hopes of working within my northern neighbour's shores.
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

likwid_777 wrote:
Haha! Indonesia is sounding like more of a joke than ever. Goodbye, mild remaining hopes of working within my northern neighbour's shores.


The regulation is indeed ridiculous. Actually, it has been around since at least 2003, though it has never been enforced until now. Here is what the Guardian had to say when it was first drafted way back when:

Teachers heading to Indonesia may soon face compulsory testing in the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, under laws proposed by the Ministry of National Education.

A plan being promoted by the ministry's Language Centre in Jakarta would require all expatriate workers to pass a proficiency test covering grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary and listening skills. Failure would mean more classes, paid for by the student, at a government-approved school.


http://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/sep/25/tefl1

In the past, it was a safe bet to ignore such regulations, as law enforcement was so lax in Indonesia. But Diknas, the education department, has been much more intent in imposing its will over the last few years. They didn't back down over the English degree requirement, for example. Yes, it is probably just a way to extract more bribes, but it may have a negative impact on some schools and teachers.
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p1randal



Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Posts: 84

PostPosted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I personally don't really have a problem with this depending on what their view of basic bahasa Indonesia is...Learning the local language only brings benefits and the sooner expats realise this the better their lives will be. Do I think Expats need to be able to attend university courses or perform surgery in the local language..no haha, but a good basic grasp would only add benefits for all.
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

T'ak ada masalah, kecuali buat seseorang yang lalu malas atau kebodohan belajar bahasa ini lho ... Neutral
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Listerine



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Posts: 340

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 2:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hard to imagine too many people who at the end of their first year don't at least have a low intermediate grasp of the lingo - Bahasa Indo is hardly Putonghua, and knowing some of the local cro-magnons who can master the thing there's no reason why old Jalan Jaksa Johnno can't get off his bintang-belching, barstool-boiled bum and learn to count to 10.

I'm sure the crap, low paying gigs (EF and co.) will have buddies in the department who can bypass the regs anyhow.

Having been said it's just another hoop to jump through for sleazy government leeches to try and extort more Rp from someone who is just trying to earn a decent living and usually support an Indonesian family.

Some of the most stringent visa regs in Asia, endless laws being implemented to squeeze foreigners out of jobs, random arrests on trumped up magic-stone induced charges all for the privilege of making a paltry weekly wage of 250 bucks to live in Jakarta of all places FFS.
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Tazz



Joined: 26 Sep 2013
Posts: 512
Location: Jakarta

PostPosted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If this comes into force it will be another nail in the Indonesian ESL coffin...
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Listerine wrote:
Hard to imagine too many people who at the end of their first year don't at least have a low intermediate grasp of the lingo - Bahasa Indo is hardly Putonghua, and knowing some of the local cro-magnons who can master the thing there's no reason why old Jalan Jaksa Johnno can't get off his bintang-belching, barstool-boiled bum and learn to count to 10.



If only it was worth doing it. I could have learned Arabic considering that I am in Saudi Arabia. I actually started to. But now I know, why even bother?
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is another Culture related issue. Culture and Cultural Sensitivity are the enemies of education and economic advancement. Indonesia stands as the best example along with all of SE Asia and the Middle East.
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

p1randal wrote:
I personally don't really have a problem with this depending on what their view of basic bahasa Indonesia is...Learning the local language only brings benefits and the sooner expats realise this the better their lives will be. Do I think Expats need to be able to attend university courses or perform surgery in the local language..no haha, but a good basic grasp would only add benefits for all.


'What their view of basic Bahasa Indonesia is' is indeed one of the unresolved issues. While it an easy language to learn in terms of daily communication, there is a lot more vocabulary than most people realize. Open a literary novel by a Toer or Lubis and you will find no shortage of uncommon words, just like English. Also, there are more quirks to the grammar of written Indonesian than many people realize. Will the test be set at an Elementary or Intermediate level? Finding the 'right' level may prover harder than people anticipate.

Then there are operational issues. Will schools be forced to subsidize Bahasa Indonesia classes for their teachers? Or will some of them do in-house training of teachers in Bahasa Indonesia? It may create a lot of uncertainty and distraction for the first couple of years. It may also prove to be a big distraction from the core concern of English teachers, which is surely how to develop as instructors of English, not as students of BI.

There is also the issue of the rationale for this training. Most TEFL courses emphasize language immersion and encourage their teachers to only speak in English, even if their Indonesian / Mandarin / Japanese is good. What is the underlying rationale for requiring tecahers to learn Indonesian?

While it will undoubtedly enrich your experience of Indonesia if you can speak some of the language, is this really the reason behind these proposals? Somehow I doubt it. It is certainly a stretch to believe that Indonesian authorities care so much about foreign teachers that they want us to be 'culturally enriched'. More likely this is another weapon to use against schools in the extraction of money. There is nothing DIKNAS have done in recent years that indicates they have the best interests of foreign teachers at heart.
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Manpower Department just announced that they are going ahead with the Indonesian fluency requirement; you will have to pass a fluency test BEFORE a work visa (KITAS) is issued.

Apparently the University of Indonesia is devising a TOEFL-like test of Indonesian fluency. UI have so far refused to show a sample test.

Now based on my experience of the Indonesian Tefl industry, I would estimate that not 1 in 50 teachers could pass an Indonesian test of TOEFL level difficulty. Many have been in the country for years and can barely say more than 'Satu lagi', one more, as they point at an empty bottle of Bintang beer.

This may just be a ploy for Manpower to extract even more bribes from the industry, but this will be another body blow for expats otherwise. No one in their right mind will study Indonesian for 12 months just for the pleasure of applying for a $800 a month job in Jakarta.
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Tazz



Joined: 26 Sep 2013
Posts: 512
Location: Jakarta

PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The real lunacy of this, as I see it, is that those who have been here for a considerable period of time are exempt from this test. Aren't they the people who 'should' be tested. 'Been in Indonesia for 7 years and all you can say is Satu lagi bintang?!!!' As stated before-who in their right mind is going to study Indonesian language as a prerequisite for obtaining an EF job? Another nail slams into the wood.......
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kesalahan satu, kawan-kawan: "Minta satu lagi ini, mbak / mas / abang".

Wink
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likwid_777



Joined: 04 Nov 2012
Posts: 411
Location: NA

PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good on you, Mysterytrain, assuming what you say is correct hahaha. But yeah, stuff that. At the same time though, I'm reminded of the language requirements for guvnas to get a work visa for my own country. From this perspective, such a language requirement seems fair. However, I assume that the pay and conditions are light years ahead of Indonesia in Australia, so it's fair enough. Enjoy your time in Asia boys, the hammer's coming down, the next generation won't have the opportunities that we have/had.
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

likwid_777 wrote:
Good on you, Mysterytrain, assuming what you say is correct

Kalau aku 'gak benar-benar, abang boleh bicara ... kalau abang diam saja, aku benar-benar, gitu'kan?
Laughing

Quote:
Enjoy your time in Asia boys, the hammer's coming down, the next generation won't have the opportunities that we have/had.

Memang betul, bruh ... siapa yang cepat, dapat, 'gitu ... :
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