Educational institutions across Lhokseumawe City are expected to intensify the use of the Acehnese language in classrooms, recognizing its importance in preserving cultural identity.
The initiative aims to integrate Acehnese into various educational settings as a safeguard against the erosion of local language traditions.
As globalization continues to elevate the dominance of foreign languages, local communities face mounting challenges in maintaining regional languages.
Community leader Yuswardi Mustafa voiced concern over the declining use of Acehnese among younger generations. He emphasized that education plays a vital role in preserving the mother tongue as an irreplaceable cultural asset.
“Acehnese is not just a means of communication, it’s part of our identity. If our children lose fluency in Acehnese, we risk losing a crucial piece of our cultural heritage,” Yuswardi said on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
He proposed incorporating Acehnese into primary and secondary school curricula through local content subjects, extracurricular activities, and speech competitions. These efforts, he said, are key to reintroducing the language to students in meaningful ways.
Yuswardi also advocated for teacher training programs to enhance their ability to teach Acehnese creatively and effectively. He stressed that future generations should not only understand the language passively but also use it actively in daily life.
“We cannot reject globalization, but we can respond wisely. Foreign languages are important, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon our mother tongue. We must strike a balance,” he added.
In a related effort, Lhokseumawe Mayor Dr. Sayuti Abubakar recently launched a weekly initiative encouraging the use of Acehnese every Friday, as a concrete step toward preserving regional languages in the digital age.
“With these initiatives, we hope the Acehnese language will not only survive but thrive as an active part of modern society,” Yuswardi concluded.
According to the Ministry of Education and Culture’s language database (petabahasa.kemendikbud.go.id), Acehnese belongs to the Austronesian language family, specifically the Chamic branch, and shares linguistic similarities with the Cham and Bahnar languages spoken in Cambodia and Vietnam.
It is primarily used in coastal areas of Aceh Province, stretching from the Strait of Malacca to the western coast facing the Indian Ocean.
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