Rise in teacher allowance takes effect

JAKARTA: Teachers will start receiving an increase to their allowance on Oct. 1 as promised by the government in the planned state budget for 2003.

The directorate general of budget affairs at the Ministry of Finance issued letter No. 160/2002 on the allowance increase for 2.1 million teachers, Antara reported.

"We welcome the decision," vice secretary-general of the Indonesian Teacher Association (PGRI) Hudaya said after a meeting with Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar.

The allowance for a second grade teacher increases to Rp 168,750 (US$18.75) from Rp 112,500, while the raise for a third grade teacher rises to Rp 206,500 from Rp 137,500, and the allowance for a fourth grade teacher goes up to Rp 262,500 from Rp 175,000. --Antara