据《雅加达邮报》3月7日报道：古邦Nusa Cendana大学从2016学年开始设立手工编织课程。这项课程在印尼比较新，并且该校科学技术学院会提供三年制的毕业证书。

学术校长助理David Pandie说：“因为这是一项职业学习课程，因此该课程将会有科学和实践技术的结合。也许技术转换将是该课程的大部分。今年我们已经开始招收新生。”

David表示，该校将和古邦的手工编织工作坊合作，让学生能练习技能。同时，还希望该校学生将来能为本地本地生产的手工纺织品的发展作出特别研究。

David还说，一旦被研究技术及高等教育部合法化，该校会联合地方政府将该学习课程介绍给公众，以确保年轻一代对传统纺织品感兴趣。

The University of Nusa Cendana (Undana) in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, is set to open a study program on tenun ikat (handwoven fabric), starting from the 2016 academic year. The program is relatively new for Indonesia and will be offered by the university’s School of Science and Technology as a three-year diploma.

“Because this is a vocational study program, there will be a combination of science and [practical] skills offered in the program. Maybe the transfer of skills will be the larger portion of the program. This year we have started enrolling new students,” Undana’s assistant rector for academics, David Pandie, toldthejakartapost.com in Kupang last week.

David said Undana would cooperate with tenun ikat workshops in Kupang to enable students to practice their skills. It is also expected that Undana students will conduct special research on the development of locally made handwoven textiles in the future.

Once legalized by the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry, David said, Undana would introduce the study program to the public, with local administrations as a focal point, to ensure younger generations became interested in learning about traditional textiles.

David said Undana was set to sign a memorandum of understanding with 23 regencies and municipalities across East Nusa Tenggara, through which the enrolment of students could be specifically targeted, unlike other programs.

He said the diversity of woven textiles in East Nusa Tenggara illustrated the geographical differences in the province. “Such a diverse collection of East Nusa Tenggara’s traditional woven textiles can become the province’s identity and this study program could become a competitive advantage for Undana,” said David.

The East Nusa Tenggara administration’s head of trade and industry, Bruno Kupok, said the study program on woven textiles was the result of cooperation between the provincial administration, the Industry Ministry and Undana.

He added that the province’s woven textiles were rich in both motifs and patterns, so they needed to be preserved and improved, particularly in terms of quality.

“Concerning this reality, we decided to build a university study program that specially focuses on our woven fabric. We want to make sure our cultural heritage will not disappear and we can work to improve the quality of our woven fabric products so they can compete with other products,” said Bruno.

He said it was expected that through the program, problems affecting the production of handmade textiles could be resolved through science and technology. To realize the transfer of skills, Undana has recruited lecturers including woven textile practitioners and fabric experts from the Bandung Textile Technology Polytechnic and the Industry Ministry.

“The presence of this study program will not affect philosophical values contained in our locally made handwoven textiles. What we want to do is improve the quality of woven textiles from East Nusa Tenggara, for example related to the thickness and coloring process of the textiles, which can affect their quality. These problems can be resolved with technology,” said Bruno.

He said students of the new diploma would be recruited based on cooperation between the provincial, regency and municipal administrations. “We hope those students can pursue their study with financial support from their local administration and after completing their study, they can return to their respective hometowns,” said Bruno. (ebf)

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