Settle teachers' demand, urges Unicef<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An international organization urged all parties
\non Thursday to seek a solution to the teachers' demand for better
\npay in order to bring about an end to strikes which have
\nsacrificed children's basic right to education.<\/p>\n
Even without strikes, \"there are more than six million
\nchildren in Indonesia aged seven to 15 who do not attend school,\"
\nthe senior program officer of the United Nations Children's Fund
\n(Unicef), Yoshiteru Uramoto, in Jakarta said.<\/p>\n
Uramoto said the neglect of children's education was a
\nviolation of the United Nations convention on children's rights,
\nwhich Indonesia ratified in 1990.<\/p>\n
\"We regret the side effects of the teachers' rallies which
\nhave interrupted children's education at school,\" Uramoto told a
\nmedia conference. However, he acknowledged the achievements of
\nthe program of the obligatory nine years of elementary education.<\/p>\n
Teachers from all over the country took to the streets this
\nweek, forcing several schools to close. Triggered by the
\ngovernment's decision to drastically increase the allowances of
\nhigh-ranking officials, teachers have demanded an increase of up
\nto 500 percent of their current allowance.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, about 20,000 teachers packed the toll road in
\nfront of the House of Representatives. At the House itself they
\nengaged in unruly behavior.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday, strikes were still being reported in areas
\nsuch as Makassar, South Sulawesi and Palangkaraya in Central
\nKalimantan. In East Kalimantan, teachers raised the threat of
\nmore strikes.<\/p>\n
On average, \"The education quality is still very low as we can
\nsee from the students' evaluation scores (NEM) and other academic
\nachievement tests,\" Uramoto added.<\/p>\n
Regarding teachers' pay, he said, \"Teachers' salaries are not
\nenough to cover their daily needs, let alone to enable them to
\nimprove their teaching skills.\"<\/p>\n
He added that the low reward for teachers stemmed from the
\ncountry's small budget for education.<\/p>\n
The education fund is only 1.3 percent of the country's gross
\nnational product, compared to the international standard of 6
\npercent, chairman of the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI)
\nMuhammad Surya said.<\/p>\n
Also addressing the media conference, he said PGRI had
\ninstructed teachers to halt their rallies temporarily and that
\nthe union would not support calls to boycott the national year-
\nend examinations (EBTANAS).<\/p>\n
He said PGRI would not be held responsible for continued
\nstrikes, which teachers threatened to carry out if their demand
\nwas not met.<\/p>\n
In Purwokerto, Jendral Soedirman University Rector Robiyanto
\nMisman urged teachers to be patient as their students' education
\nwas at stake.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Surakarta, Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung
\ndismissed speculations that certain parties were behind the
\nmassive, unprecedented teachers' protests throughout the country.<\/p>\n
\"I believe that the teachers have a genuine intention; nobody
\ntook advantage of them,\" Akbar said, adding that the only likely
\nparty involved was PGRI. He was reopening the Golkar office which
\nwas razed by fire during a riot last October.<\/p>\n
PGRI chief Muhammad also said allegations about political
\nmotives behind the rally were baseless.<\/p>\n
\"Since PGRI was established in 1945, the organization has
\nnever been a political vehicle of any party,\" Muhammad said.<\/p>\n
\"If anybody asks how millions of teachers could go to the
\nstreets at the same time, it was because they shared the same
\nfeeling,\" Mohammad added. (08\/44\/45\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/settle-teachers-demand-urges-unicef-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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