Teachers brave unrest in nation's trouble spots<\/p>\n
For some teachers, a day at work is not merely about dealing
\nwith the stresses of absenteeism and a wise-ass student. Caught
\nin the middle of conflicts, they also have to consider the matter
\nof their students' welfare and their personal safety. The Jakarta
\nPost correspondents Edy Petebang in West Kalimantan, Novy P
\nin Ambon and R Kadir in Irian Jaya relate the stories of teachers
\nliving amid hostilities.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Alexander Tupan, a teacher at Ahmad Yani Ambon
\njunior high school in Petak Sepuluh, Nusaniwe, has sometimes
\nfaced an empty classroom in the last two years since Maluku
\nerupted in inter-faith violence.<\/p>\n
Parents chose to keep their children at home rather than run
\nthe risk of them being killed or injured on the way to school.
\nWhen students did come to class, the roaring sound of explosions
\nor gunfire often left them so traumatized that they begged to be
\nallowed to go home.<\/p>\n
The problems were compounded by the fact the student body is a
\nmix of Christians and Muslims. Security has been provided to try
\nto contain tensions, but their presence is another disturbance in
\nthe education process.<\/p>\n
But Tupan, 39, said the conflict has not done anything to sway
\nhis dedication to his profession of 13 years. He is from a family
\nof educators, with family members who have worked as staff and
\nprofessors at local universities.<\/p>\n
\"I have continued to serve in Ambon, for the single reason
\nthat I am saddened to see the condition of education for the
\nstudents ... I would have no desire to leave Ambon even in the
\nconflict, except if I was reassigned by my supervisor,\" said
\nTupan, who earns a monthly salary of Rp 800,000.<\/p>\n
Tupan's story of dedication to his work despite the violence
\nraging around him is echoed by many teachers living in areas
\nengulfed by strife in recent years.<\/p>\n
For Wiwik Arianti, becoming a teacher was not her first choice
\nin life. Born in Ambon of Javanese parents, she was adopted by
\nJavanese family and grew up in Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
She originally wanted to study economy to improve the lot of
\nher family, who earned a living selling vegetables in the market,
\nbut was instead sent to the Teacher Training Institute. She was
\nstill doubtful about becoming a teacher when she graduated with
\nher degree in education in 1991.<\/p>\n
\"It was still like a dream to me. How could it not be for a
\nquiet young woman to have to think of talking in front of a group
\nof students?\" she said.<\/p>\n
But she passed the teaching exam two years later, and was
\nassigned to teach Indonesian at a junior high school about 100
\nkilometers from Jayapura.<\/p>\n
Although the 32-year-old mother of three says she enjoys her
\njob, she lives in fear of being kidnapped. At least two of her
\nstudents were kidnapped for three months by guerrillas, and she
\nremembers a frightening experience when she was stopped on her
\nway to school, which is one hour from her home.<\/p>\n
\"Fortunately after they knew I was an elementary school they
\ndidn't do me any harm,\" said Wiwik, who earns Rp 1.2 million
\nmonthly but spends at least Rp 20,000 a day for transportation.<\/p>\n
Some teachers have showed a deep concern for the plight of
\nrefugees, displaced by ethnic conflicts around the country.<\/p>\n
Ratna, 27, a student of a private university in Pontianak, has
\nspent the last two years as a volunteer teacher for 60
\nkindergarten and 190 elementary school-age children at the haj
\ndormitory in Pontianak.<\/p>\n
She is one of nine volunteers who teach math, Indonesian and
\nArabic languages, Pancasila and civics to the children. Every
\nmonth, the volunteer receive transport allowances ranging from Rp
\n20,000 to Rp 25,000 from a Sambas refugee foundation which was
\nset up to fight for the refugees' rights. The money comes from
\nthe West Kalimantan authorities and donations.<\/p>\n
Abidin, 45, said he was still haunted by the 1997 ethnic
\nconflict which broke out in the province, but he could not leave
\nbecause teaching was in his blood.<\/p>\n
\"I still want to be a teacher because its my calling. Besides,
\nI find difficulties in finding another job. My father used to be
\na teacher, so my teaching nature may be come from him.\" said the
\nmath teacher at the SLTP Negeri Serimbu state-owned junior high
\nschool in Air Besar district, Landak regency, some 230-kilometers
\naway from West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak.<\/p>\n
He said his monthly wage of Rp 1 million was not sufficient to
\nsupport his wife and his two children.<\/p>\n
\"I run a drink stall. If I only relied on my monthly salary, I
\nstill won't be able to build a house and buy a motorcycle,\" said
\nAbidin, who have been teaching for 15 years.<\/p>",
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