Medan welcomes fleeing teachers

Medan welcomes fleeing teachers

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Teachers fleeing East Timor for safety
will be eligible to teach at schools here, the local educational
office announced on Monday.

The office head, Abdul Muin Harahap, said for the time being
only teachers who were North Sumatrans would be helped. They
would be posted to areas where there were vacancies, or sent back
to their birthplaces.

"(Acts of) terror and threats aimed at teachers in East Timor
have wreaked havoc to our national educational system. That's why
we offer a way out for those who fall victim to the political
tension there," Harahap said.

He said the migrant teachers would not be subject to any
expenses, but they would face legal consequences if they were
found counterfeiting diplomas or other documents in their
applications.

The Forum for East Timor Teachers Brotherhood, the
organization which carries out the teachers' relocation program,
has helped 76 North Sumatrans return to their hometowns from the
troubled former Portuguese colony. The teachers are expected to
start work next month. (39)