Govt to improve welfare of teachers

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has assured teachers that the government will continue to improve their welfare, allowing them to fully concentrate on educating.

Speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 1994 International and National Teachers Day at the State Palace yesterday, Soeharto said improvements would be made not only in material aspects but in career development, legal assurance and other non-physical aspects.

"Teachers now have a functional status, meaning that those who show outstanding achievements can earn faster promotions," he said.

"They can also reach the highest level possible in the career of a civil servant," he added, citing an example of one current teachers.

The President said the 1989 law on the national education system guarantees legal assurance for teachers.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro in his speech said the law also guarantees teachers a certain amount of income and social services, a career path conforming with their achievement at work and a right to use education facilities and infrastructure to accomplish their work.

Despite these stimulations, teachers are still among the most low-paid civil servants in the country and many of them often have no choice but to moonlight to make ends meet.

Teachers in the country's remote places are complaining about the government's failure to keep its promise of rendering a special subsidy in compensation for their off-beat teaching places.

This year, International Teachers Day, which falls on Oct. 5, was commemorated together with the 49th anniversary of National Teachers Day which falls on Nov. 25. (pwn)