Teacher counts his luck and blessings

JAKARTA (JP): Owning a house is an illusive dream for most teachers on the government's payroll.

The few who do own houses are those who have spent years dedicating their life to their careers, or a few lucky ones. Teaching, while regarded a noble profession, is also one of the lowest paid jobs in the country.

Sholeh Dimyathi is one of the lucky ones.

The 43-year-old teacher, who works at two different schools just to make ends meet, was one of 27 winners in a writing contest held for teachers by private television station Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia.

The winners, who each won a house, were announced Nov. 13 ahead of National Teachers Day today.

This means it will not be long before Sholeh can finally move out of his parents' house, where he has lived with his wife and three children for many years.

"I'm so grateful and surprised at winning a house.

"Owning a house is something that my family and I have been dreaming of for a very long time," Sholeh told The Jakarta Post.

Sholeh's two teaching jobs -- at state-vocational school SMKN 26 Pembangunan in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, and a junior high school in Bekasi, West Java, -- earn him Rp 750,000 a month.

It's a paltry sum considering he has dedicated 12 years of his life to the profession and has had to work from morning till evening, six days a week.

And with Jakarta's exorbitant cost of living, his earnings have been barely sufficient for a family with three children.

He said that saving to buy a house was not a priority, not with the soaring property prices in Greater Jakarta.

"If I'd forced myself to buy a house, I wouldn't have anything left to pay for other family expenses," Sholeh said.

"I hope I can get the house soon so my family and I can move in right away," said the teacher, who gives religious instruction.

He does not know where the house will be built. The contest organizers simply told him it would be close to one of the schools where he teaches.

Sholeh said he fully realized the meager remuneration teachers received before plunging himself into the profession.

"It would be naive to say that I don't need money. But, as a religious person, I believe that if we do something seriously and with a strong faith, we'll get what we want," Sholeh said.

Fate

He said he was not concerned about colleagues who craved material gains. "Everyone has his own fate. This is mine," he said.

Sholeh said he had had other breaks before, like the chance to perform the haj pilgrimage with his wife, something he could not afford on his salary.

He said the pilgrimage was paid for, but he did not go into detail.

"I praise God for what He has given me and my family, it helps strengthen my faith," Sholeh said.

Sholeh was one of 27 lucky winners of the writing contest, in which there were 120 finalists.

"The awards show that people care and appreciate teachers," said Sholeh.

He said the profession has had its share of negative publicity in recent years, like reports of students being physically punished.

These instances, he said, did not reflect the true nature of the profession, and that the majority of teachers were truly dedicated to the profession and the cause.

"There are many teachers who give their best for students. Take those who teach in remote areas, for example," Sholeh said.

He said his winning essay was about developing an integrated method in teaching Islam through a variety of approaches.

"My paper was based on my own experiences of over 12 years of teaching," Sholeh said. (ste)