Students to honor their teachers

JAKARTA (JP): School children will be ceremoniously called on for the first time to pay homage to their teachers' daily toil by attending a special service on National Teachers Day on Thursday in their respective schools.

School kids across the country on Thursday morning will hold a flag-raising ceremony, usually reserved for national occasions, for their teachers.

Director General for Primary and Secondary Education Indra Djati Sidhi announced the new ceremony saying it was part of a move to tangibly foster greater awareness of the plight of teachers in Indonesia.

"The students, hopefully along with their parents, will have to attend the flag-raising ceremony in their schools to enhance respect for their teachers," he said, noting the deteriorating level of respect for teachers in recent years.

"We have to improve the image of teachers and put them back in their respected role," he added.

He said that apart from ceremonious homages, the Ministry of National Education was also proposing several hikes in teachers' allowances in order to raise their welfare.

These proposals were awaiting the President's approval to be formulated in a government regulation, Indra added.

In the proposal the ministry will rise the allowance for teachers having to teach additional lessons outside of regular school hours from Rp 1,000 per hour to Rp 3,000.

According to Indra, funds for this allowance would be distributed directly from the ministry to the school in question so as to avoid possible "leakages".

Usually such funds are transferred from the ministry to the regional education office before going to the schools.

A special fund, known as an "education allowance, for teachers seeking to improve their skills and knowledge will also be raised by 25 percent at all levels. This will mean that the lowest "education allowance" of Rp 45,000 per month will rise to Rp 70,000.

Other planned improvements by the ministry concern teachers in "hardship posts" such as those in remote areas.

"We will double the special allowance for every teacher in remote areas and provide a dormitory for them," he said.

In the proposed regulation, a maximum period of four years will be set for teachers serving in remote areas such as several locations in Irian Jaya.

"We even suggested scholarships for talented children of teachers," Indra said.

He stressed that improving welfare would be the most crucial aspect in improving teachers' professionalism and thus the quality of national education as a whole.

Chief of the All-Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI), Mohammad Surya, said that in the climate of greater openness his union would not obligate teachers to join the union and pay membership fees.

"The teachers can join the union voluntarily," he said adding that teachers' wages would no longer be siphoned for various fees.

During the New Order era, teachers were required to be associated with the union. As a consequence they were obliged to pay membership dues which were often directly cut from their salaries. (04)