SIBU: The Persatuan Intelektual Pribumi Sarawak (PERANTIS) lauded the proposal to set up an Iban Language Study Centre in Sarawak in a move to preserve the language.
PERANTIS deputy president Nelly Tawai and women chief Robbia Jarup said the effort to resolve the Iban language teachers’ crisis is appreciated.
“The Iban language is no longer just an ethnic language for use and spoken by the Iban community alone but has evolved into one of the languages owned and can be learned by the entire populace.
“It is not only a ‘mother tongue’ but also a culture and ensures the preservation of this language. The proposal put forward by Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, is a very good suggestion,” they said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 15).
Earlier, Uggah said that a proposal will be made to the Ministry of Education (MoE) to move the Iban Language Study Centre from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Perak to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).
He said that it is necessary to address the critical shortage of Iban language teachers for both primary and secondary schools in the state.
“Currently, the higher education centers in Malaysia that have and still offer Iban language courses are the Rajang Campus Teacher Education Institute, Sarawak Campus Teacher Education Institute, Miri, and UPSI in Tanjung Malim, Perak,” Uggah said.
Meanwhile, Nelly and Robbia also commended the state government’s proposal to establish Iban language courses at higher education institutions.
They said many qualified Iban language teachers are willing to become lecturers at UPSI but they faced challenges in terms of location and family commitments.
“This will also facilitate local students to easily learn the language and improve the quality of the Iban language itself.
“We sincerely hope that the intake and offering of Iban language programmes at these institutions will continue annually to accommodate the needs of the still insufficient Iban language teachers,” they added.
