Govt to raise teachers' allowance

JAKARTA: The government has kept its word to improve the welfare of the country's teachers by announcing on Friday a plan to raise the state employees' monthly allowance by 50 percent in May.

Minister of National Education Malik Fajar said after a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri that the increase would be a special gift for teachers when they celebrate the National Education Day on May 2.

The current education allowance, known as functional allowance in the past, ranges from Rp 112,500 (US$11) to Rp 175,000. New state teachers receive Rp 667,300 as a monthly salary, with the highest paid ones taking home Rp 2.1 million.

Malik said the government was studying the possibility of declaring the increase effective as of January this year, and reimbursing the unpaid monthly allowances starting from May. -- JP