Educators disappointed with allowance increase

Educators disappointed with allowance increase

JAKARTA (JP): The decision to increase the functional
allowance for teachers by 150 percent failed to elicit praise
from educators.

The policy still reflects the government's unfairness toward
the profession, teachers and education experts told The Jakarta
Post on Thursday.

Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) chairman Muhammad Surya
said the decision violated an earlier agreement.

On April 17, the government -- represented by the Ministry of
National Education and the Ministry of Finance -- and PGRI
agreed to a 300 percent increase in teachers' functional
allowances, he said.

Since this agreement was reached, the allowances were
increased by 100 percent, followed by the additional 50 percent
raise announced on Wednesday.

"We are seeking clarification of the decision," Muhammad said,
adding that he was scheduled to meet with officials from the
Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Finance on
Monday.

"We hope (the latest increase) was not a final decision, and
we would like to know whether the government will give us another
raise next year," he said.

Muhammad said he respected the government's attention
reflected in the allowance increase. "We will keep trying to
improve teachers' welfare, and in the meantime we will not hold
mass rallies."

Teacher protests drew public ire last month when their
demonstrations involved closing part of the toll road in front of
the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, education experts Winarno Surachmad and Mochtar
Buchori lamented the decades-long insensitivity on the part of
the government toward the teaching profession.

"The portrait of our teachers is still in tatters," Winarno
said. "None of them can even buy newspapers."

When teachers demand a raise, the government says there is no
budget to meet their demands, he said. "But instead, people's
representatives who have not performed well in the past get a
large pay raise."

With their new allowance increases, legislators will take home
approximately Rp 9.7 million a month, while teachers earn about
Rp 762,500 to Rp 962,500.

Mochtar Buchori said that since the 1950s, reviews of civil
servants' wages had not taken into account the special profession
of teaching, which required idealism.

"Teaching is a noble profession, nobility should be honored,"
Mochtar remarked.

He said the government should gradually restore the financial
and social status of teachers, which had been ignored for 50
years.

"In times of war, most privileges are given to the Army. In
peace, if we're saying we are fighting illiteracy, we have to
think about the teachers," Winarno said.

Winarno added that the low salaries of teachers was not a
problem "when everyone was poor after independence". But the
increasing gap between those getting richer and those getting
only a small raise hurts the poor, including teachers, he said.
(dja/08)