Govt. urged to promote teachers

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction of the House of Representatives has urged the government to make temporary teachers full-time due to the shortage of teachers in many provinces.

"We'll urge the government to set aside funds in the 2005 budget for this purpose," faction head Heri Akhmadi said on Friday.

According to the Ministry of National Education, the country still needs at least 427,903 teachers. The promotion of 190,714 teachers in 2003 only made up for half of the shortage of teachers at that time.

Heri said if the problem was not settled, the government's policy of nine-year compulsory education would not succeed.

The faction also opposed the implementation of national final examinations since the government had not adequately attempted to improve the quality of education, it said. --Antara