UNS – International Community Service Team (PKMI) of Indonesian Language Education (PBI) Study Program Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, chaired by Dra. Ani Rakhmawati, M.A., Ph.D., conducting community service activities at Thammasat University, Thailand. They run a mentoring program to improve Indonesian language skills through training in Surakarta-style batik. This activity was held from 31 May to 4 June 2023.
In the release received by the uns.ac.id team on Tuesday (13/6/2023), Dra. Ani Rakhmawati, M.A., Ph.D. said that the program aims to provide students with practical experience in learning Indonesian and introduce them to Indonesian culture through the art of batik. She also revealed that the assistance was carried out by BIPA practitioners who had experience making Surakarta-style batik.
“Batik training is an effective way to learn language and culture. In this program, students from Thammasat University, Thailand are accompanied by BIPA practitioners who have experience making Surakarta batik,” Ani said.
Furthermore, Ani also explained that in the training and learning sessions students were given the opportunity to practice speaking Indonesian with BIPA practitioners. This helps them improve their Indonesian language skills directly and gives them a better understanding of Indonesian culture. In addition, this training also provided practical experience in the art of batik making.
“They study batik techniques, traditional patterns, and the symbolic meanings behind certain motifs. Through the process of making batik cloth, students also interact with the local community and communicate in Indonesian,” Ani explained.
The students were very enthusiastic about the BIPA mentoring and learning program based on Indonesian batik culture. Students were also happy when they were given bags with various Indonesian batik designs. Bamkyoko, a student at Thammasat University Thailand said he was happy with the Surakarta batik training.
“I am very happy to be able to learn Indonesian and Surakarta batik directly. This is a unique and rewarding experience for me in understanding Indonesian culture and improving my language skills,” Bamkyoko said.
This mentoring program has received full support from Thammasat University which sees the importance of providing cross-cultural experiences to their students. According to Dr. Hamam Supriyadi, one of the BIPA teaching lecturers at Thammasat University, this program can broaden horizons, improve language skills, and deepen Indonesian culture.
“Through programs like this, we want to provide opportunities for our students to broaden their horizons, improve their language skills, and deepen their understanding of Indonesian culture. We hope they can bring this valuable experience back to Thailand and enrich our community there,” Dr. Hamam said.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian language assistance program with Surakarta batik training did not only provide direct benefits for Thammasat University students but it could also strengthen relations between Thailand and Indonesia in the fields of education and culture. Finally, the PKMI PBI FKIP UNS Team hopes that this kind of program can continue to be held in a sustainable manner. Humas UNS
Reporter: Lina Khoirun Nisa
Editor: Dwi Hastuti