JEDDAH — Eko Hartono, consul general of Indonesia, said that language is the best gateway to understand a nation and its culture. Addressing the concluding ceremony of the passing out of the 17th batch of the Indonesian Language Program for Foreigners (BIPA), he also spoke about the ongoing efforts to establish Indonesian center in all universities in the Kingdom and bringing in Indonesian artists and chefs as part of further bolstering bonds of bilateral cultural ties and promoting Indonesian culinary arts. All participants who had passed the BIPA as well as members of the organizing committee and the consulate officials attended the ceremony held recently at the consulate premises. Most of the participants who have completed the language course are Saudis, in addition to nationals of France, Egypt and Yemen. The consul general lauded the participants’ commitment to pushing the class to go on even though it was presented online due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. “The completion of the course in a difficult pandemic situation shows your commitment and love for the Indonesian language, the Indonesian people, and other things related to Indonesia,” he said. Hartono said that online learning of the language of Bahasa Indonesian entailed challenges, because learning a language basically requires intensive interaction among participants and teachers. “In the offline class, all of you can converse with the teacher face to face. You can chat with friends next to you and you can kid around.” “You could listen to detailed explanations from the teachers. Even in the absence of all these, you incredibly pursued the classes,” he added. The consul general also attended the BIPA alumni meeting of the outgoing graduates. Out of a total of 120 applicants from various nationalities, only 67 prospective participants were enrolled in the program. There were separate classes for male and female participants with different study schedules. At the end of the program, a total of 30 participants were entitled to receive certificates based on the class attendance percentage of not less than 70 percent and passing oral and written examinations. The course started in the second week of February, but in mid-March offline class activities were forced to stop due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Subsequently, classes resumed online via Zoom application and WhatsApp group. Oral and written examinations were also conducted online.