Meager wages must not dampen spirit, teachers told

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)