Meager wages must not dampen spirit, teachers told

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno closed the 17th congress of the All Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) Saturday, hoping that teachers would maintain dedication despite their low wages.

Before the nearly 11,000 people attending the week-long congress, Try praised teachers for their dedication and loyalty to their profession.

"We are proud of teachers. They are still highly dedicated to doing a good job despite the limited financial recompensation... Their dedication will not be forgotten," Try said.

The vice president promised that the government would promote the welfare of teachers little by little. However, he said that every improvement would have to be weighed against the government's budgetary constraints.

Better welfare was among the most talked about subjects at the congress, opened by President Soeharto in a grand ceremony on July 4.

Teachers, especially those in remote areas, are paid quite poorly by national standards and often have to take extra non- academic jobs to help make ends meet. Many elementary school teachers earn only Rp 86,000 (US$40) a month.

Try also called on teachers to enhance their knowledge and broaden their horizons because, according to the vice president, the future of the nation rests in their hands.

He said the success of upcoming long-term development programs relied heavily on highly qualified manpower, and the way to enhance the quality of manpower was through education. "Therefore, teachers are again at the forefront of the national development."

PGRI's 17th congress, which was opened by President Soeharto last Monday, re-elected Basyuni Suriamiharja and W.D.F. Rindorindo as the union's chairman and secretary general respectively.

Improvement

Basyuni, who has led PGRI since 1970, promised to improve the performance of the union, whose main targets were the promotion of teachers' welfare and the improvement of their level of professionalism.

Touching on teachers' welfare, Basyuni noted that there were still major disparities between different kinds of teachers, particularly those at the elementary and high schools levels and university lecturers.

He said the government had promised to improve the welfare of teachers at elementary and high schools, especially those who worked in remote areas.

When asked how PGRI will enhance teachers professionalism, Basyuni said that the union would emphasize the formal qualifications, such as sending teachers to improvement programs or attending higher education.

"If possible, we will encourage teachers to pursue them qualifications) on their own," Basyuni said. (11)