|
Serving
Students at
Santa Ana
College and
Santiago
Canyon College
INDONESIA
Language
|
Languages:
Bahasa
Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects,
the most widely spoken of which is Javanese.
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 83.8%
male:
89.6%
female:
78% (1995 est.)
The Republic
of Indonesia has designated Bahasa Indonesia as the official language.
Other languages used include Dutch, English, and 668 local languages and
dialects, the most important of which is Javanese. Languages with
one million or more speakers (in estimated numerical order): Javanese,
Sundanese, Malay, Madurese, Minangkabau, Balinese, Bugisnese, Acehnese,
Toba Batak, Makassarese, Banjarese, Sasak, Lampung, Dairi Batak, and Rejang.
Many local languages are further divided by special forms of address depending
on social status, and all languages are spoken in a variety of local dialects.
English
is the most widely used foreign language for business and tourism, and
many people in the more remote areas have a basic command of English.
The older generation still speak Dutch as a second language. Taxi
drivers may not speak English.
All advertising,
media, and official communications are required to be in Bahasa Indonesia,
and it is taught in all elementary schools. Bahasa Indonesia is written
in the Roman alphabet; it evolved out of the "market Malay" trade language
used throughout the region during the colonial era. The selection
of Bahasa Indonesia as the official tongue was a conscious effort to unite
all Indonesians. However, as a trade language, it did not have the
literary history or prestige of other Indonesian tongues (notably Javanese).
Education
(1997)
Years
compulsory: 9
Enrollment:
92% of eligible primary schoolage children
Literacy:
85%.
Twelve-year
education system (primary--grades one through six; junior high school--grades
seven through nine; and senior high school--grades ten through twelve).
The primary education level is mandatory, the secondary educational
level is optional. The educational system is supervised by the Department
of Education and Culture. Nonreligious, public schools comprise about
85 percent of total enrollment. The Department of Religious Affairs
(religious, private, and semiprivate schools) comprises about 15 percent
of total enrollment; most religious schools emphasize traditional Islamic
values. Education is free and compulsory for children through grade
9. Although about 92% of eligible children are enrolled in primary
school, a much smaller percentage attend full time. About 44% of
secondary school-age children attend junior high school, and some others
of this age group attend vocational schools.
Links
for More Information
Five
College Foreign Language Resource Center
.
Sources:
U.
S. Department of State
Central
Intelligence Agency |
