Raise teachers' salary: Governor

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Governor Maj. Gen. Herman Musakabe expressed concern recently over local teachers' poor welfare, saying that the drive to improve the quality of education should start with raising their monthly pay.

Teachers posted in remote areas should be given even greater attention, Herman said in a meeting earlier this week with education officials and members of the Indonesian Teachers' Association.

"The government, the private sector and parents should all contribute to the effort to improve education," Herman said.

Abraham Gampar of the East Nusa Tenggara office of education told The Jakarta Post that local residents have yet to take the responsibility for the improvement of education seriously and tend to leave things to the government.

The province has 32,000 teachers, 578,500 primary school students, 47,000 junior high school students and about 5,000 schools for students from kindergarten to senior high level. (yac/14)