MCUT Summer Camp 2024

Visit and Guest Lecture by Project Team of UNESCO Chair: Language and Policies for Multilingualism

Malang – Since coming to Malang, exactly Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), on Tuesday, 1 May 2018, Professor Gilvan Muller De Oliveira and Professor Edleise Mendes have held a lot of activities regarding language policies. One of their activities is giving lectures at UM regarding language and sustainable development.

On Monday, 21 May 2018, Prof. Oliveira, accompanied by Prof. Mendes, had the chance to give a very insightful lecture with the theme ‘Language and Sustainable Development: UNESCO International Agenda Multilingualism (2015-2030) at Aula A3 the 2nd floor, UM. Though the lecture only lasts for two hours, from 09:00 to 11:00 WIB, a lot of participants were interested in this topic since it talked about how Indonesians still lack attention in preserving their own language. It becomes a concern that Prof. Oliveira points out through his mission with UNESCO.

He also points out that their lack of attention might cause a bigger damage to the nation and the world. Therefore, UNESCO created a team called Project Team of UNESCO Chair: Language and Policies of Multilingualism for 2015-2030 to provide help preserving languages around the world, as stated by Prof. Oliveira in the lecture. Prof. Oliveira, Prof. Mendes, and several other members are in charge this team.

After taking a break for an hour, both Prof. Oliveira and Prof. Mendes had another lecture in a different place, Aula AVA, E6 Building, UM. Their topic was similar since it is under a big umbrella of language policy of multilingualism. Yet, the participants offered bigger issues to discuss with both professors compared to the previous lecture since the participants are those who study about language so they know better about the condition of languages in general.

As what has been reported before, besides giving those two lectures, Prof. Oliveira from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and Prof. Mendes fromFederal University of Bahia came as visiting researchers of UNESCO at UM. Their programs during the visit include giving a course in language policy, helping or guiding undergraduate and graduate student works, participating in discussions of working groups, and others.

Reporter: Faizah Zakiyah