28 Jun 2023. Lecturers of the Faculty of Letters, Warmadewa University (Unwar) held a Community Partnership Program (PKM) for Teaching English Based on Culture to Elementary, Middle, and High School students at the Pasraman Gurukula Bangli led by the Dean of the Faculty of Letters, Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Kardana, M.Hum., with members Dr. Agus Darma Yoga Pratama, SS, M.Hum., and Dr. Drs. Anak Agung Gede Raka, M.Si., as well as students of the Faculty of Letters, Warmadewa University.
The Faculty of Letters Unwar sees that this culture-based English teaching is important to implement considering that Pasraman Gurukula is a school that is very thick with Balinese culture so that it is often visited by tourists and even foreign donors. The mentoring and teaching given to elementary, junior high, and high school students of Pasraman Gurukula Bangli is in the form of culture-based English material, for example how to describe dance, gamelan, temples, holy offerings (banten), traditional clothing and Hindu holidays in Bali and the appropriate equivalents for these cultural aspects.
"This activity is one form of the realization of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education. However, it does not stop there, through teaching English for specific purposes based on culture, children have been given additional knowledge of English from Balinese culture that they have applied every day in praying and performing with dance and gamelan," explained Prof. Kardana.
“That’s right. We see that the Balinese culture in Pasraman Gurukula Bangli is very strong. Therefore, we introduce the culture in English. This will also support English learning in everyday classes and prepare children for the world of work later because children are also encouraged to actively participate in class by practicing direct conversation in English,” said Agus Darma.
In this Community Partnership Program, the Faculty of Letters also collaborates with the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA) through the activity "Provision of Psychosocial Services at Pasraman Gurukula Bangli" which also collaborates with the Denpasar Fish Quarantine, Quality and Safety of Fishery Products (BKIPM).
In this activity, Pasraman Gurukula was given a package of assistance to fulfill specific needs for children, a package of school equipment, basic food packages, and eating utensils from the Ministry of PPPA as well as assistance in the form of fresh fish and processed fish, totaling 85 kg from BKIPM Denpasar.
Through the implementation of this program, the PKM Team hopes that there will be awareness and understanding of students about the importance of English based on Balinese and Hindu culture so that it will facilitate student communication with foreign donors and visiting tourists who can later help to introduce Balinese Culture to foreign tourists.
