The initiative for the planning of MIPCE came from a number of indigenous language communities in Malaysia who desire to preserve, develop and promote their mother-tongue languages. They recognize that a strong educational foundation in the mother tongue provides an effective bridge to learning Malay and international languages. This conference was jointly organized by Bahasa dan Kebudayaan Iranun, SIL Malaysia, Kadazandusun Language Foundation and the United Sabah Bajau Organization, with support from UNESCO and SIL International. YB. Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Haji Mulia, MIPCE 1 Advisor, hosted the event in Rampayan Laut, Kota Belud. Deputy Minister Hon Choon Kim officiated during the opening ceremonies on behalf of the guest of honor, Y.B. Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Bin Tun Hussein, Minister of Education. National and state government representatives were on hand, as well as delegates from language projects where SIL has consultants. The largest contingents came from the cultural minorities of Sabah and Sarawak, in East Malaysia, and from Labuan, on the northern part of Borneo. Keynote speakers were Dr. Sheldon Shaeffer, UNESCO Regional Director; Dr. Larry Jones, SIL International Asia Area Director; and Dr. Edilberto de Jesus, Director of SEAMEO (South East Asian Ministries of Education Organisation) Secretariat.

Plenary speakers were Y.B. Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Hj Mulia, Chairman of the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah); Y.B. Tan Sri Bernard G. Dompok, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department; Noki Martin, Maori Lecturer at Whitireia Polytechnic, Wellington, New Zealand; Ripeka Martin, Project Manager, Maori Research in Learning Media (Government Publications), Wellington, New Zealand; Dr. Suwilai Premsrirat, Mahidol University, Thailand; Dr. Susan Malone, SIL International Consultant and Multilingual Education Consultant; and Dr. Kimmo Kosonen, SIL Representative to UN Agencies in Asia; and Dr. Karla Smith, SIL Asia Area International and Literacy Consultant and Malaysia branch Applied Linguistics Coordinator; [Multilingual Education Consultant and MIPCE 1 co-chair]. The last three days of the conference offered workshops for leaders who came from local language communities. Topics included Beginning Orthography Development and Writing, Beginning a Playschool and Listening Stories, Pre-primer Preparation for Kindergarten, Anthropology through Indigenous Eyes, Indigenous Children’s Music and Movement, and Study of Music in Your Culture. Participants expressed interest in providing opportunities to their respective language communities for lifelong learning and participation in the rich and colorful tapestry of Malaysian life. MIPCE organizers anticipate that this conference will contribute to the on-going process of dialogue about the benefits of effective MLE programs. MLE enables ethnolinguistic minority language learners to establish a strong educational foundation in their home language. The organizers are hopeful that such programs will progressively form an integral part of language development efforts in many communities.