Bishop calls for better teachers

BOGOR: To broaden the role of teachers in society and the Catholic community, Bogor Bishop Michael Cosmos Angkur said on Sunday that he hoped to activate a group of educators in Bogor. Another group operates in Semarang.

The Bogor diocese had sent two teachers, representing Indonesia, to the world teachers quadrennial meeting in Paris in 2000, and the 2002 Asian teachers biennial meeting in Bangladesh to upgrade their professional capabilities.

"When I participated in the 2000 meeting, we discussed the welfare of teachers and the challenges of the profession," said Muji Paryono, principal of SDN Carang Pulang I state elementary school.

The principal of the SDN Atsiri Bojong Gede state elementary school, Kristina Sriyati, who attended the 2002 meeting, said that Indonesia must learn from other developing countries like Bangladesh, which give greater attention to education. -- JP