Govt to hire over 360,000 temporary teachers in 2003<\/p>\n
Debbie A Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of National Education is planning to hire 366,630
\ntemporary teachers in 2003 to overcome teacher shortages in state
\nelementary and high schools throughout the country.<\/p>\n
Education minister A. Malik Fadjar said during a hearing with
\nthe House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VI on Tuesday that
\nhis ministry was seeking a budget allocation of Rp 2.295 trillion
\n(around US$300 million), or Rp 200,000 per teacher for the
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
Members of the Commission welcomed the move but criticized the
\nministry for what paying what they called \"unjust wages\".<\/p>\n
\"It's not fair that they will receive Rp 200,000 per month as
\nthis it is much lower than the Jakarta minimum monthly wage for
\nworkers. A teacher is not a slave,\" said legislator Abduh
\nPaddare.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's minimum monthly wage stands at over Rp 500,000.<\/p>\n
The commission urged the ministry to allocate at least one
\nthird of the ministry's proposed budget of Rp 26.56 trillion for
\nthe project.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot expect to get quality education if we treat the
\nteachers like that,\" Abduh said.<\/p>\n
Malik, however, said that he did not want to make any changes
\nto the proposal because the country's financial condition did not
\nallow the government to pay \"big salaries\" to teachers.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to make any promises because they could
\nboomerang on me. I'm afraid our country only has a limited
\nbudget,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Director General of Primary and Intermediate
\nEducation at the Ministry of National Education, Indra Djati
\nSidi, said on Tuesday that the new, competence-based curriculum
\nwould be implemented during the 2004\/2005 school year.<\/p>\n
\"The pilot project has not finished yet and we are still
\ndeveloping contextual teaching and learning, a method that can
\nassist teachers in applying the new curriculum,\" Indra explained.<\/p>\n
He said that his office was helping schools to prepare their
\nstaff and technical resources before the new curriculum was
\nimplemented nationwide.<\/p>\n
\"But changes take time and involve a gradual process. So we
\ncannot force some schools if they are not ready to implement the
\nnew curriculum in 2004,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Curriculum Center at the ministry conducted a pilot
\nproject introducing the new curriculum in 15 elementary schools
\nand 15 junior high schools last year in Jakarta, Tangerang in
\nBanten province, Bandung in West Java, Yogyakarta, and Sidoarjo
\nin East Java.<\/p>\n
Siskandar, chairman of the Curriculum Center, said that the
\nproject, which would last two years, would proceed to the second
\nstage of implementation next month, involving senior high
\nschools.<\/p>\n
\"We are going through the process gradually and there are many
\nthings that we have yet to do. Even in 2004, we will have to
\nconsider whether each regency is ready or not,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The new curriculum, compared to the previous one, requires
\nteachers to allow students to be more active in the classroom and
\nfor the students to be able to use the knowledge they have
\nacquired within a shorter space of time.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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