Elementary schools merged to maximize limited funding

Elementary schools merged to maximize limited funding

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The ministry of education has merged thousands of state
elementary schools throughout the country as part of measures
introduced to address teacher shortages and maximize the use of
limited funding.

The ministry's director general for elementary and secondary
education Indra Djati Sidi said here on Thursday that his office
had merged 4,330 elementary schools throughout the country into
2,145, by combining schools with few students.

"The teachers can teach effectively either by covering for the
teacher shortage at other schools or by teaching particular
subjects," he said.

Some principals would become ordinary teachers, with fringe
benefits, while unused school buildings would be utilized either
as junior high schools or demolished and the cleared site used
for school activities.

Meanwhile, director of education workers at the ministry
Suwondo said on Thursday that the country was in need of some
400,000 teachers to support elementary and secondary education
programs.

He also said that his office would recruit next year some
190,714 temporary teachers to be assigned in 30 provinces to
teach at elementary, junior and senior high schools.

"We cannot address all the shortages immediately due to
limited funding. We have to set a quota for each province and
merge some schools," Suwondo said, adding that the recruitment
process was the same as for the recruitment of civil servants.

He said that the prospective teachers should be a maximum of
32 years old.

"We predict that they will be promoted to become civil
servants in three years time. But we are also prioritizing those
that have demonstrated their dedication as temporary teachers
over several years," he said.

Suwondo said that each temporary teacher would receive a
monthly take-home pay of Rp 400,000.

Indra Djati said that before receiving temporary teachers, a
regency or municipality had to establish an education board and
school committee.

"It will be more efficient if they have met such requirements
because they will start focusing on the quality of education,
while the government will only offer assistance to one school
rather than three," he said.