Two basic issues underlie problems associated with the teaching of Bahasa Indonesia in the Indonesian primary schools. The first involves language standardization and deciding what form of the language will be taught. The criteria of understanding and communication are involved and such features as pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, syllabification, and grammar have varying degrees of importance with respect to these criteria. The second basic issue is the relationship between the national language and the regional language. Should the national language be taught as a first language or as a second language? If the regional language is quite similar to the national language, the differences between the two might be underestimated or ignored: there is a risk that instruction in the national language may be regarded as merely a process of correcting usage in the regional language. (VM)