Govt begins housing teachers to help improve dedication
Govt begins housing teachers to help improve dedication
By Prapti Widinugraheni
MERAUKE, Irian Jaya (JP): The government has launched a new
housing program for its teachers in the hope of making them more
dedicated in their work.
The first housing program for teachers, one of the country's
lowest paid professions, is now being constructed in Merauke and
is intended chiefly for teachers who are assigned to remote
areas.
Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro laid
the first stone in the construction of the housing complex here
on Tuesday.
So many teachers have had to take second or even third jobs to
supplement their meager income that some officials and parents
are beginning to doubt their dedication to their profession.
"Migrant teachers are often too busy earning money to pay
their rent, they hardly remember their main job of teaching,"
Wardiman pointed out during the ceremony.
By providing housing, the teachers would be more motivated and
dedicated to their work. "To create dedication, appreciation or
reward is necessary," he reasoned.
Carried out under an agreement between the ministries of
education and culture and of public works, the housing complex
will be built on some two hectares of land and is expected to
accommodate 150 small houses.
Wardiman recognized the services of teachers who are posted in
remote areas.
"They face greater problems than those in urban areas, such as
lack of communication and transportation .. This means that
greater dedication is expected of them."
Wardiman also disclosed that the government will try as far as
possible to assign teachers to their respective locality, instead
of sending them to faraway places is the practice now.
Many teachers who are assigned in faraway places often suffer
from homesickness, he said.
Hometowns
Many teachers working in Irian Jaya are not natives of the
province but come from elsewhere, especially Java.
"Thus, they face the double responsibility of teaching and
adapting to their new surrounding," Wardiman said.
For this reason, he continued, the government has decided to
post teachers in their respective hometowns, so they will find no
difficulty in adapting to an already familiar environment.
During a discussion with some 1,000 teachers here afterwards,
the issue was also brought up.
The teachers, who used the opportunity to air their complaints
and grievances, said the 150 houses now being built in the
complex are hardly sufficient.
"There are at least 1,000 teachers in the regency," said one
teacher.
They also complained of not receiving teaching modules and
other teaching material on time and insisted the "central
government" do something about it.
Wardiman in his response assured them that he would discuss
the matter of more houses with the ministry of public works who
oversees public housing affairs.