Care for all school staff

Care for all school staff

From Republika

The government must be commended for the average increase of
officials' salaries of Rp 64,750. Congratulations also go to
officials for their increase in allowances and to teachers with
their functional allowance of 150 percent for their services to
education.

However, are teachers the only ones providing meritorious
service in education? Are school guards, administrative staff and
other school employees not worthy? Do they not play a role in
also determining the progress of education in the country?

I appeal respectfully and emphatically to the authorities (the
minister of finance, the minister of national education, the
House of Representatives and the Indonesian Teachers Union) to
also speak up for school guards, school administrative staff and
nonteaching employees of the national education ministry so that
they obtain better work conditions, including allowances.

I especially appeal to the teachers' union to fight for us,
too: school guards, administrative staff at schools and national
education ministry employees. I am also a member of the union and
pay a monthly contribution, but apparently the union has never
fought on my behalf.

I am now waiting for the comments of my colleagues. Must we
remain resigned to our condition, or set up another union to
speak for us?

I appeal to journalists to write about the condition of school
guards and the administrative staff at schools. I trust that
journalists have good powers of persuasion.

ZAENUDIN AKHMAD

Wonosobo, Central Java