UNU Jogja PGSD Students Hold Javanese Language Education Festival, Promoting Cultural Preservation Through Creative Learning

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Students of the 2023 cohort from the Elementary School Teacher Education (PGSD) Study Program at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) organized the Javanese Language Education Festival as part of the practical examination for the Javanese Language Education course. Held at the Main Hall on the 5th Floor of the Integrated Campus of UNU Jogja on Monday, July 20, the event provided students with an opportunity to demonstrate their competencies while strengthening their understanding of the Javanese language, literature, and culture through a variety of artistic performances.

The lecturer of the Javanese Language Education course, Fan Naa Na Muhammad, explained that the practical examination was designed not only to help students understand the subject theoretically but also to enable them to apply Javanese cultural values through creative and contextual learning experiences.

"As future elementary school teachers, students need the ability to introduce local culture to their pupils through engaging learning methods. Therefore, we designed this practical examination in the form of the Javanese Language Education Festival so that students do not merely learn about Javanese culture but also actively preserve and bring it to life," he said.

In her opening remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at UNU Jogja, Dr. Mustaghfiroh Rahayu, S.Th.I., M.A., emphasized that learning the Javanese language is not intended solely for students from Java but also serves as a cross-cultural learning opportunity for students from other regions.

"For students who come from outside Java, this course provides an opportunity to learn about and understand a different culture. Javanese traditions are an integral part of everyday life in the community, making them important to study so that students can better understand the social environment around them," she said.

She added that learning local culture during university would become valuable preparation for students as they enter the workforce or serve communities in various regions. According to her, the course helps students develop the ability to adapt to different communities while integrating their own cultural backgrounds with Javanese traditions.

"This experience will be valuable wherever your future career takes you. This course is part of the process of helping you become more familiar with Javanese traditions while enabling you to integrate your own cultural heritage with the local culture wherever you contribute," she added.

The festival featured a wide range of cultural performances, including karawitan (traditional Javanese gamelan music), macapat (traditional Javanese poetic songs), parikan (traditional Javanese rhymes), traditional dances, and Javanese-language drama performances presented by students from Classes A and B. Through these performances, students demonstrated that learning the Javanese language extends beyond the classroom and is expressed through creative practices that strengthen language proficiency, collaboration, and artistic expression.

One of the highlights of the event was the symbolic handover of a collection of parikan composed by the students to the PGSD Study Program. The collection serves as a contribution to enriching learning resources while documenting students' creativity.

Through the Javanese Language Education Festival, the PGSD Study Program at UNU Jogja reaffirmed its commitment to preparing future teachers who not only possess strong academic competencies but are also capable of preserving local culture through innovative learning practices. The event also reflects UNU Jogja's commitment as a university in Yogyakarta to delivering education that integrates academic excellence with the preservation of local wisdom. [Latifah]