Minimum salary sought for teachers

JAKARTA: A federation of teacher associations urged the government on Tuesday to establish a minimum salary for private school teachers and employees that would improve their welfare.

"We really hope that the government will set a standard salary for teachers and employees of private schools," the chairman of the Federation of Indonesian Education Workers, Firman Hadi, said after a meeting with Vice President Hamzah Haz on Tuesday.

According to Firman, up to 70 percent of private school teachers and employees live below the poverty line.

There are currently 2.7 million teachers and employees working for private schools, and, according to Firman, 70 percent of them receive an average of Rp 350,000 per month. The minimum monthly wage in Jakarta is Rp 591,000.

Firman said an acceptable salary for single teachers and school employees was Rp 960,000 per month, and Rp 1.4 million for married teachers and employees. --Antara