Lampung teachers wait three months to be paid<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N.
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
Thousands of contract teachers in Lampung have not been paid in
\nthe last three months, with some no longer being able to afford
\npublic transport in order to go to work.<\/p>\n
Nur Aminah, a 24-year-old teacher at an elementary school in
\nBandarlampung, said that lack of money has put her in debt to an
\nojek (motorcycle taxi) driver who takes her to school.<\/p>\n
\"Everything is expensive now, even ojek or public minivan
\nfares have increased, but our salary is still not being paid.
\nIt's already hard enough for us to meet our daily needs,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Nur and other contract teachers had asked about the late
\nsalary payments at Bank Rakyat Indonesia, where they usually pick
\nup their salary, but the bank said they could only pay their
\nsalary once they receive money from Lampung province's Education
\nQuality Assurance Body.<\/p>\n
\"Bank officials tell us to ask the body. The bank only
\nreceives transfers,\" Nur said.<\/p>\n
Nur Mulyati, a contract teacher at an elementary school in
\nLampung, says she is lucky.<\/p>\n
\"My husband works at a shrimp pond so his earnings can cover
\nour daily needs,\" said the 28-year-old who goes to work by
\nbicycle. \"But I feel sorry for those contract teachers in remote
\nareas.\"<\/p>\n
A contract teacher earns between Rp 350,000 (US$37) and Rp
\n500,000 per month depending, on their educational background.<\/p>\n
They were hired through a program launched by Lampung
\nprovincial administration in 2003 to help elementary and junior
\nhigh schools in the province deal with a shortage of teachers, as
\nwell as to reduce unemployment among educated people.<\/p>\n
The contract teachers were recruited through a similar process
\nas civil servants. However, although they have a teacher's
\nstatus, those who have no educational background in teaching can
\nbecome a contract teacher after several months of training.<\/p>\n
Head of the Education Quality Assurance Body in Lampung, Dedi
\nHermanto, said the late payment occurred because the teachers'
\nsalary from March to May was included in the 2005 state budget.<\/p>\n
\"We just received the project list for teachers only in the
\nfirst week of May and we directly worked on it. Hopefully, their
\nsalaries can be paid soon,\" Dedi said.<\/p>\n
He said that after his office processed the list, it would
\nthen be handed to the State Treasury Office to be verified.<\/p>\n
\"After the list is verified at the State Treasury Office, the
\nmoney is then sent to the bank,\" Dedi said.<\/p>\n
He said it was not easy to pay teachers' salary on time. Apart
\nfrom the late project list, many teachers have still not provided
\ntheir bank account numbers, he added.<\/p>\n
\"There are some 7,000 contract teachers who we have to check
\none by one. The administrative process might take a long time,
\nmaybe over a week,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Secretary of the Indonesian Teachers Dignity Forum, Gino
\nVanolie, urged the administration to immediately pay the contract
\nteachers.<\/p>\n
He said the provincial administration should not differentiate
\nteachers' status and should not deny them of their rights.<\/p>\n
\"If teachers can't go to school because they don't have the
\nmoney, then this is just unacceptable. We have received many
\ncomplaints from teachers who have had to skip classes because
\nthey don't have the money to pay for public transport fares,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lampung-teachers-wait-three-months-to-be-paid-1447893297",
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