STUDENTS at Geographe Grammar School were introduced to Indonesian culture when Sydney based Suara Indonesia Dance Group visited their school for a day of traditional mask making and dancing.
Principal Stuart Chisholm, who has lived in Indonesia for 11 years prior to working at the school, introduced Indonesian language to their curriculum this year.
He said it was important for students to learn the language because Asia was our closest trading partner.
“For future relations and partners if we can’t converse in another language we are going to get left behind,” he said.
Mr Chisholm said the research behind adding language to your education is phenomenal because it can give students multi-tasking and problem solving skills.
Through gestures and interactions taught in class, using the Indonesian language, the children pick up the meaning, he said.
Whilst the students will understand the gestures, he said it would take another year for the students to respond with dialogue.
