Jakarta, Aug. 13 -- Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu'ti, has highlighted the growing importance of Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) classes abroad, particularly among language enthusiasts, the Indonesian diaspora, and the international community.

"Indonesian is a language of diplomacy as well as a language of friendship that brings people across nations closer together," he said at the opening of a BIPA class at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, according to a written statement released here on Wednesday.

One of the BIPA Program's goals, he explained, is to improve Indonesian language proficiency among language enthusiasts, the Indonesian...