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lthough Sundanese is a local language in Bogor, West Java, many Sundanese language teachers do not know how to write or read aksara kaganga, the Sundanese alphabet, because most do not have a degree in Sundanese literature or language, says a teacher.

 During a recent seminar on the Sundanese language, chairman of the Junior High School Sundanese Language Teachers Association (MGMP) Anda Suwanda said all measures, including regular short courses and a training program, should be taken to preserve the alphabet for the future generation.

 '€œLearning the language and kaganga script is extremely important and must be preserved. We must learn from Japan, which is a developed country but still manages to preserve its traditional culture and their kanji alphabet,'€ he said.

 Meanwhile, a scholar who specializes in Bogor Sundanese culture, Dadang Padmadireja, said the kaganga script originated from stone inscriptions in the old city of Kawali, which is now located in Ciamis, West Java.

 Currently, the script has been written on almost all of the street signs in Bogor in an attempt to raise the people'€™s awareness of the script. However, many Sundanese language teachers and students still cannot read or write it.

 During the seminar, which was attended by more than 30 junior high school Sundanese language teachers, Anda encouraged the teachers to join MGMP in order to hold discussions on a monthly basis on how to teach the language to young students.

 '€œAlthough there are manuals related to the current curriculum on how to teach the Sundanese language, we still have to think of ways of how make students interested in the language. For example, we could use Sundanese legends to keep it attractive to students,'€ he said.

 Dadang also said that many scholars in Bogor were currently trying to raise awareness of the kaganga script among teachers both in elementary schools and high schools.