Govt expects too much from poverty-line teachers: Union<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The high absence rate of elementary school teachers is
\nunderstandable, as they are paid far below their monthly cost of
\nliving, said the head of an educators union.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) chairman Mohammad Surya said
\non Thursday the government lacked appreciation for teachers, who,
\nlike other professionals, needed good salaries and a clear
\nstatus.<\/p>\n
\"I did a study on teachers' salaries in 1999, and found that a
\nteacher with a spouse and two children should receive a monthly
\nsalary of at least Rp 2.5 million (US$271.7),\" Surya told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
However, with the price of many commodities having risen in
\nthe past five years, the minimum salary was no longer valid, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"Considering recent developments, they need between Rp 3
\nmillion and Rp 4 million per month,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In a speech before the House of Representatives on Monday,
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri unveiled an increase in the 2005
\neducation budget, but gave no sign of a salary hike for civil
\nservants, including teachers.<\/p>\n
The government did not raise salaries for civil servants this
\nfiscal year, but provided a 13th month salary for them in July to
\nenable them to pay school tuitions and admissions fees, as well
\nas daily needs during the long school holiday.<\/p>\n
A recent study by the SMERU Research Institute for the World
\nDevelopment Report 2004 showed that Indonesia ranked third in the
\naverage absence rate of elementary school teachers at 19 percent,
\nfollowing Uganda at 39 percent and India at 25 percent.<\/p>\n
Covering 147 state and private elementary schools in 10 major
\ncities and small towns, the study revealed that part-time
\nteachers had a higher absence rate of 27.8 percent compare to
\nfull-time teachers at 18.2 percent.<\/p>\n
According to the study, part-time teachers are paid between Rp
\n50,000 and Rp 450,000 per month, while full-time teachers receive
\nbetween Rp 782,000 and Rp 955,000.<\/p>\n
Minimum monthly wages for provinces currently range from Rp
\n400,000 to Rp 700,000, depending on living costs in each
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Surya said the government's failure to improve teachers'
\nquality of life would keep the absence rate high, and it needed
\nto consider promoting part-time teachers into full-time teachers
\nso as to narrow the income gap.<\/p>\n
However, Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar
\ndismissed Surya's suggestion that the higher the salary, the
\nlower the teachers' absence rate.<\/p>\n
\"Teachers should realize they need to discipline themselves,
\nas they are carrying out a duty to improve the standard of
\nnational education, regardless of their salary. Besides, they
\nalso receive allowances.<\/p>\n
\"I urge all school principles to dismiss teachers who are
\nfrequently absent,\" said Malik.<\/p>\n
Surya suggested that the government distribute teachers evenly
\nso as to fulfill the demand for teachers across the country.<\/p>\n
According to education ministry data, 1,129,475 teachers
\ntaught elementary-level education in 2001.<\/p>\n
\"We need at least 400,000 more teachers,\" said Surya.<\/p>\n
Malik Fajar said the government had recruited about 200,000
\nteachers this year for elementary, junior and senior high
\nschools.<\/p>\n
Surya agreed with SMERU's recommendation that school structure
\nand facilities were contributing factors to the increased
\nabsenteeism, saying the poor structure of state schools had
\ncaused depression among teachers.<\/p>\n
The education ministry's director general of elementary and
\nsecondary education Indra Djati Sidi said the government had
\nallocated Rp 650 billion to each regency this year to renovate
\nelementary schools and to build more classrooms at junior high
\nschools.<\/p>",
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