Opportunity to Learn Indonesian Language through Nonformal Educationfor The Children of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Sabah- Malaysia: Case Study at the Pontian Fico Community Learning Center

Abstract

The existence of children of Indonesian migrant workers in Sabah-Malaysia has had an impact in many ways. In the linguistic context, children of Indonesian migrant workers who were born and raised in Sabah-Malaysia use the Malaysian language as their first language. The most important problem in this context is that children of Indonesian migrant workers have an identity crisis because they tend to follow the social and cultural environment they live in, but do not know much about their country of origin. Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of describing opportunities to learn Indonesian for children of Indonesian migrant workers through non-formal schools in Sabah-Malaysia. The method used in this research was qualitative, with a case study approach. This research was conducted at the Pontian Fico Community Learning Center non-formal school, Sabah-Malaysia. The data for this research are documentation and interview results, while the data sources were obtained from Indonesian school teachers who teach in non-formal schools. The results and discussion described are opportunities to learn Indonesians through the curriculum, teachers, and school literacy programs. The findings of this study are that the CLC Pontian Fico non-formal school provides opportunities to learn Indonesian for the children of Indonesian migrant workers as part of strengthening self-identity, supporting educational equality, and realizing quality education. The conclusion of this study is that non-formal schools use soft diplomacy to introduce Indonesians to Indonesian children who live in areas where their parents work.