Preservation Of Culture In Schools, Pencak Silat Becomes Mandatory Extracurricular In Jakarta

JAKARTA - As part of efforts to preserve local culture in the educational environment, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has made pencak silat one of the extracurricular activities in schools. This step was taken so that cultural values can be instilled early on to the younger generation.

Acting Head of the DKI Jakarta Culture Service, Mochamad Miftahullloh Tamary, said that this policy aims to make Jakartan children love and support their own cultural heritage, especially Betawi culture. "We want the younger generation to have a sense of pride in local cultural identity and make Betawi Culture a part of everyday life," he said in an official statement in Jakarta, Thursday.

He explained that pencak silat as part of Betawi culture will be introduced through local content lessons, which are in line with the cultural promotion agenda being run by local governments.

Miftahalloh added that cultural preservation plays a crucial role in shaping the identity of a nation. "Cultural submission is the key to understanding who we are, our origins, and the direction of the future that we want to aim for," he explained.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, he continued, has established four main pillars in cultural conservation strategies, namely protection, development, utilization, and guidance. This strategy is applied to ten Betawi cultural objects, including ancient manuscripts, customs, oral traditions, language, arts, and people's games.

The local government affirms its commitment to making Betawi culture an inseparable part of Jakarta's identity and as a national cultural asset that should be preserved and developed.

As a culture that grows along the course of the history of the city of Jakarta, Betawi culture is considered to have noble values that must be passed on to future generations in order to stay alive and relevant in the midst of the current globalization.

" Betawi culture must host its own city. We will continue to encourage the promotion of this culture not only at the national level, but also to be known globally," said Miftahuloh.