Sabah proposes teaching four more ethnic dialects in schools
PENAMPANG (June 15): The proposal to expand the teaching of the Kadazandusun language subject in schools to include four other ethnic dialects in Sabah has been brought to the Federal Government, said United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) president Datuk Ewon Benedick.
He said the effort to strengthen the ethnic language curriculum is an ongoing initiative by various parties, including the Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF), Momogun National Congress (MNC) and the Sabah Ethnic Language Association.
'Until now, the Kadazandusun language subject in schools has been based solely on the Dusun Bunduliwan dialect, as agreed in the pact between KDCA and USDA.
'After I became a member of the Federal Cabinet, I received proposals from several ethnic associations in Sabah, as well as Kadazandusun language teachers in Penampang, Tuaran, Kuala Penyu and Tenom.
Together with a Sabah delegation, I held discussions with the Minister of Education, Fadhlina Sidek, last year, alongside representatives from the Ministry of Education.
'We submitted a proposal to expand the curriculum to cover four additional major ethnic dialects, Tatana in Kuala Penyu, Kadazan Tangaa in Penampang, Murut Timugon in Tenom and Dusun Lotud in Tuaran.
'Fadhlina agreed to the formation of a special committee under the Ministry of Education to study the proposal. I will continue to follow up on all efforts to ensure its success,' he said.
Ewon said this in his speech when officiating the Odou do Kaamatan celebration in Kampung Mahandoi, organised by UPKO Beaufort with the Kuala Penyu community working, doing business and residing in Kota Kinabalu.
Ewon, who is also the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, said that efforts to strengthen the teaching of ethnic languages in government schools will continue through the expansion of the current Kadazandusun curriculum to include the development of modules for four other ethnic dialects, Tatana, Kadazan Tangaa, Murut Timogun and Dusun Lotud.
He said his ministry is also supporting the initiative by channelling special allocations to the four ethnic language associations for the development of learning modules, workbooks and textbooks.
Ewon stated that it is his responsibility to be part of the effort to empower the teaching of ethnic languages in schools.
'That's why last year I ensured funding support was provided to the four ethnic associations, namely the Tatana, Murut Timogun, Lotud Tuaran, and Kadazan Penampang which manage these languages, to help them develop curriculum modules and workbooks as an initial step toward enabling these four ethnic languages to be taught in schools alongside the existing Kadazandusun subject,' he said.
He added that the teaching of the four ethnic languages can be piloted in selected schools within the respective districts.
'For example, in Kuala Penyu, teaching the Tatana dialect would be more appropriate than using the Bunduliwan dialect, taking into account the views of parents and teachers in the district, most of whom are of Tatana ethnicity,' he explained.
He also expressed confidence that Sabah could follow the model of teaching ethnic languages in government schools as done in Sarawak, where Iban is taught as a subject like Kadazandusun in Sabah and the teaching of Bidayuh has also begun on a pilot basis.
'Efforts in this direction are already underway. A delegation from Sabah has visited schools in Sarawak to observe the implementation of Bidayuh dialect teaching as a complement to the Iban language,' he said.
Meanwhile, Ewon stressed the importance of preserving cultural practices such as the Kaamatan celebration, which must be upheld as a symbol of unity.
'Kaamatan is now not only celebrated by the Momogun community in Sabah but is also observed by our people abroad. This celebration reflects our ethnic identity and unity across ethnicities and religions.
'As a minister and president of UPKO, I will continue to focus on the development of culture and ethnic languages, including Tatana, to ensure they are inherited by future generations,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Federal Govt halts immigration enforcement temporarily in Sabah for digital registration
Published on: Thursday, August 14, 2025 Published on: Thu, Aug 14, 2025 By: Jonathan Nicholas Text Size: Saifuddin (middle) at the press conference. KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government has placed a temporary halt on immigration enforcement in Sabah to allow the state to carry out a digital registration drive for foreign workers. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during a press conference on Thursday, said the initiative will help the state compile accurate, centralised biometric data to better manage its migrant workforce. He said 113,282 foreign nationals have so far been recorded, mainly in plantations, with plans to extend the exercise to agriculture, manufacturing, mining and quarrying sectors. The minister clarified that the programme is unrelated to citizenship or permanent residency, adding that the Special Committee on Citizenship for Sabah has processed 1,247 applications since 2021 under separate provisions. On another matter, Saifuddin confirmed that police procedural lapses were found in the case of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir's death, and said he will present a detailed ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Borneo Post
a day ago
- Borneo Post
Sabah Bersatu demands zero tolerance on bullying and urgent education reform
Syafiqah KOTA KINABALU (Aug 13): 'Parents send their children to school to gain knowledge and learn self-discipline, not to get bullied, physically and mentally tortured, or worse—lose their lives,' declared Dayang Nor Syafiqah binti Abdul Hamid, Bersatu Sipitang Srikandi chief, in a powerful call to action on Wednesday. She was responding to the national outrage over the tragic death of 13-year-old student Zara Qairina Mahathir, which has exposed deep, systemic failures in safeguarding students—especially in boarding schools. 'No parent should ever have to bury their child and be left wondering if more could have been done to protect them. This is not an isolated incident— it is the result of a broken system that has failed to prioritise children's safety,' Syafiqah said. She added that she was deeply outraged and saddened that the alleged bullying, which led to this tragic incident, had taken place in a religious school — a place entrusted to nurture faith, discipline, and the highest standards of moral conduct among its students. She thus demanded the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Sabah Education Department (JPN Sabah) immediately adopt a zero-tolerance policy against bullying — and pair it with urgent, concrete reforms: 1. Mandatory CCTV installation in all hostel corridors and common areas. 2. Zero interference from schools in the filing of police reports. 3. Creation of a Student Protection & Bullying Response Unit under JPN Sabah. 4. Automatic post-mortem and legal inquest for any unnatural student death. 5. Deployment of more qualified counsellors and robust mental health support systems. 6. A prominently displayed Student Welfare Bill of Rights in all schools. 7. An Independent Review Panel to investigate serious incidents and publish findings. 'These are not optional measures. They are life-saving safeguards. Zara's death must be the turning point — not just another statistic in a growing list of preventable tragedies,' she said. Syafiqah also called for the introduction of a Parental Rights Charter, guaranteeing parents full access to incident records and eliminating barriers to lodging police reports. 'Every hour lost in reporting weakens investigations, destroys evidence, and denies justice. In Zara's case, the Attorney-General's Chambers has already flagged serious investigative gaps — this must never happen again,' she stressed. She urged leaders in the Sabah State Government and across political lines to act decisively, without delay. 'This is bigger than politics. This is about our children's lives, safety, and dignity. Zara deserved better. All our children do. Sabah Bersatu Srikandi will work with all stakeholders to make these reforms a reality—immediately,' Syafiqah concluded.
Rakyat Post
a day ago
- Rakyat Post
Teachers May Face Jail Time If Caught Smoking Or Vaping In School
Subscribe to our FREE Teachers who smoke or vape may soon have to be more conscious about their habit, especially when they are on school premises. Ministry of Education (MoE) minister Fadhlina Sidek recently said that teachers who are caught vaping or smoking on school premises may face a fine of RM10,000 or jailed up to two years in the near future. In a Nurul Amin had asked the (education) ministry to state the measures taken to curb the culture of vaping among school students, alleging that some teachers were openly vaping. MoE is working to impose a ban on all forms of smoking and vaping Fadhlina said her ministry was also in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include a ban on smoking, which covers all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools and liquids related to vape. 'This new amendment is in line with the enforcement of the Smoking Products Control Act for Public Health 2024, which was gazetted by the Health Ministry on 1 October, 2024. This prohibition includes the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18 and enforcement actions against premises selling vape within 40 meters of a school boundaru or fence,' she said. The government has been considering a nationwide ban on vape Researchers say vaping is less harmful than smoking, but is still In late July, news outlets reported a government proposal to impose a nationwide ban on the use and sale of e-cigarettes or vapes. In an At time of press, several states across Malaysia have banned the sale of e-cigarettes. The states include: Johor, Terengganu, Kelantan, and Perlis. Kedah has not issued an outright ban on e-cigarette sales yet, but it has decided to stop renewing business licences for vape retailers as their licences expire. Free Malaysia Today reported earlier that Kedah vape traders were told to Meanwhile, the Penang state government is open to banning vape sales and is actively monitoring the implementation of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, according to a Bernama The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) is a legislative law enacted to regulate the sale, advertising, and promotion of all smoking products, including e-cigarettes and vapes. It Statistics on smokers in Malaysia (2022) A report by anti-smoking foundation Global Action to End Smoking stated that in 2022, an estimated 6 million people In 2017, nearly 14 percent of youths in Malaysia aged 13 to 17 were current cigarette smokers. Statistics show that younger male Malaysians are more likely to smoke compared to femaes. Tobacco products cannot be sold to individuals younger than 18 years of age in Malaysia. Individual violaters would face a fine of up to RM20,000, a prison sentence of up to one year, or both. Subsequent offenses can lead to a fine of up to RM30,000, a prison sentence of up to two years, or both. For corporate bodies the penalties are even steeper, with fines potentially ranging from RM20,000 to RM100,000 for the first offence and imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Repeat offences for corporations can result in fines between RM50,000 and RM300,00 and imprisonment of up to three years, or both. These penalties are outlined in Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
