RRI.CO.ID, Gianyar - The Gianyar Regency Administration, Bali Province, emphasized the importance of preserving the Balinese language, which must be preserved and used for everyday communication.

"Let's not forget Balinese. Don't be be ashamed to use it. Be proud of the Balinese language, script, and literature," said I Ketut Pasek Lanang, Assistant to the General Administration of the Gianyar Regional Secretariat, on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of Balinese Language Month at the Gianyar Cultural Center on Sunday, February 8, 2026.

He asked parents to encourage their children to use the Balinese language in traditional activities, such as paruman (meetings) and religious ceremonies, as well as in communication with other Balinese residents.

"Balinese should continue to be used in social interactions, meetings, and communication among the younger generation," he said.

As part of its efforts to preserve the regional language, the Gianyar Regency Administration held Balinese Language Month. The month-long event featured various competitions for young people, including a Balinese script writing competition for elementary school students, a palm-leaf manuscript writing competition for junior high school students, and a Balinese debate competition for high school and vocational high school students.

There was also a palm-leaf manuscript reading competition for high school and vocational high school students; a masatua (storytelling) competition for Balinese women's groups, with participation from Krama Istri (PAKIS); a sambrama wacana (speech) competition for prajuru (traditional leaders); and a short documentary film competition in Balinese, which attracted high school and vocational high school students, as well as the general public, from across Bali.

I Wayan Adi Parbawa, the Head of the Gianyar Regency Culture Agency, expressed his delight at the enthusiasm and skills of the children and young people in the various Balinese language competitions. As a token of appreciation, he presented trophies to the winners of each category.

According to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia is a country with many regional languages, 726 of which are still in use today. However, many of these languages have declined due to regional expansion, population migration, and the dominance of the majority language. BRIN highlighted this phenomenon and emphasized the importance of revitalizing regional languages to prevent extinction. ***