NGOs skeptical on new bill to improve teachers' welfare

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Education and the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) have drafted a bill aimed at improving teachers' welfare across the country.

The bill offers protection for teachers by imposing a number of sanctions for violations of teachers' rights, including those related to their salary, holidays, promotion and discriminatory policies.

Article 14 states that teachers have the right to salaries and other incentives, considering that in many cases teachers -- mostly those in remote areas -- do not receive their salaries regularly each month.

Article 15 says that private school teachers should earn as much as state school teachers.

Currently, many teachers at small private schools receive a very low salary. Worse still, they rarely receive their salary on time.

The bill also stipulates protection for teachers who are assigned to conflict areas.

Violations of the law mostly carry administrative sanctions or fines ranging from Rp 1 million (US$117) to Rp 500 million.

Some education experts expressed skepticism about whether the bill would live up to teachers' expectations once it takes effect.

A spokesman of the Center for Betterment of Education (CBE), Dharmaningtyas, told The Jakarta Post the bill was a mere justification of the current condition, in which teachers have no autonomy or authority.

"The truth is that this new bill does not deliver anything new in improving teachers' conditions. The only new thing is that private teachers will earn as much as state teachers," said Dharmaningtyas.

Separately, a spokesperson for National Education Watch (NEW), Sarasdewi, said the protection and benefits for teachers was just a formality, as found in every law in the country.

"Most teachers agree that this will be a good law with all the benefits for teachers. However, we are skeptical about its implementation.

"There are so many laws with good goals but the government has failed to implement them," said Sarasdewi.

She further said that some articles in the bill were ambiguous.

Citing an example, the bill stipulates the formation of the Teacher Disciplinary Council (DKG), but she said the bill did not provide any additional explanation about the council.

Sarasdevi also said that the government discriminated between teachers and lecturers because the bill failed to mention anything about lecturers.

"Many lecturers in small private universities do not earn enough money to live on as is the situation for elementary school teachers," said Sarasdevi.

The bill also mentions of the establishment of a professional organization to manage teachers, which is considered controversial as it is given the authority to recommend the dismissal and movement of teachers.

Sarasdewi criticized the bill for failing to clearly refer to a certain organization, as there are many teacher associations.

Dharmaningtyas said he was sure the organization in question was PGRI, as no other professional organization was recognized by the government.

"The transfer or dismissal of a teacher should be done according to the school's needs or the teacher's own needs, not the will of the PGRI.

"This system will provide reasons for the PGRI to move or dismiss a teacher simply because he or she is unwanted," Dharmaningtyas said.