Teachers need higher welfare, professionalism<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
While generally agreed that teaching is a noble profession, in
\nthis country it does not pay the bills.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Amir Syarifuddin never regrets his decision to
\nbecome a teacher.<\/p>\n
After 27 years in the profession, the 49-year-old still enjoys
\nnothing more than standing in front of his students at state
\nelementary school No. 1 in Kebon Sirih and imparting knowledge.<\/p>\n
\"It was my father who wanted me to go to Teacher's College ...
\nbecoming a teacher was not my dream job, actually, but now I can
\nsay that I am proud of my profession,\" he said.<\/p>\n
After graduating from a three-year course at the Teacher's
\nCollege in 1977, Amir began teaching at a state elementary school
\nin Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
After 27 years of teaching, the Jakarta native earns Rp 2.45
\nmillion (about US$245) a month, enough to cover the daily
\nexpenditures for himself and his two children.<\/p>\n
\"With my salary, I am never able to save any money. Sometimes
\nI have to borrow money from the bank or from the school's
\ncooperative, when I need large amounts of money to pay the school
\nfees for my children,\" he said, adding that he had to borrow at
\nleast Rp 5 million every six months to pay for his children's
\neducation.<\/p>\n
His eldest child is in university and the youngest is in high
\nschool.<\/p>\n
Although money has always been tight, Amir willingly dipped
\ninto his own pocket to upgrade the diploma he received from the
\nTeacher's College, which was the equivalent of a high school
\ndegree.<\/p>\n
In the early 1990s, Amir enrolled in a two-year teacher's
\ntraining program at Muhammadiyah University in Jakarta at his own
\nexpense.<\/p>\n
He still harbors the dream of taking an extension program to
\nobtain an undergraduate degree.<\/p>\n
\"This country is developing ... all elementary school teachers
\nshould at least hold a university degree,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He expressed hope the government would someday provide
\nscholarships for teachers who graduated from Teacher's College
\nand who had been teaching for more than 10 years.<\/p>\n
\"We are often blamed for not being professional. But no one
\npays any thought to how to improve our professionalism,\" said
\nAmir, who lives in Bekasi municipality.<\/p>\n
\"The government needs to provide us scholarships because it is
\nunlikely we would be able to afford the tuition from our
\nsalaries,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Engking Rusakim, a principal at an elementary school in
\nCentral Jakarta, shared Amir's opinion, saying higher education
\nwas the key to improving the knowledge and teaching skills of
\nteachers.<\/p>\n
\"The knowledge obtained by graduates of a Teacher's College in
\nthe 1970s, for example, is no longer suitable for current
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
\"As an illustration, back then, a classroom would immediately
\nquiet down if a teacher slapped the table to stop the students
\nfrom talking. But now, even at elementary schools, students
\nignore such warning,\" said the 53-year-old principal.<\/p>\n
But he added that a formal university education was not the
\nonly way to improve the working skills and knowledge of teachers.<\/p>\n
\"They can read books and articles provided by the government
\nabout teaching and learning methods,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Engking, who has been an educator for 33 years, said it would
\nbe impossible to elevate the professionalism of teachers without
\nalso improving their welfare.<\/p>\n
\"There are lots of teachers who have good qualifications, but
\nthey fail to perform because they are skipping classes to do side
\njobs to make enough money to keep their own children in school,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/teachers-need-higher-welfare-professionalism-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}