Teacher day celebration turns sour as VP gets angry

Teacher day celebration turns sour as VP gets angry

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta

The national celebration of Teacher Day turned sour on Sunday
after a poetry-reading that was critical of the poor state of
national education irked Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

In his off-the-cuff address, an apparently angry Kalla said
teachers were not supposed to be critical of issues affecting the
nation, but do their utmost to promote the spirit of achievement.

"Teachers form the nation's soul and character. If you mock
the nation, who will respect it? This country needs high spirits
to develop," Kalla explained.

His speech, which capped the 60th anniversary celebration of
the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) at Manahan Stadium
here, lasted less than five minutes.

His terse words came after a noted educator, Winarno
Surachmad, read some of his own poetry, which was part of the
celebration's itinerary.

"What does our respectful job mean if we are sidelined with
nobody greeting us or talking to us? When will our school
buildings improve their grade from just a chicken coop? Here is
buried the remains of a teacher, who died of starvation after
living on a salary that runs out in only one day," Winarno, a
former rector of Jakarta Teachers Training Institute, recited.

Kalla said he understood that teachers were not paid well
enough, but maintained that such an expression of pessimism was
unnecessary.

"I know our school buildings are not that luxurious, but I'm
convinced they are not like chicken coops. I know your salary is
low, but it will not run out in just a day," Kalla said.

"If we all work hard, our economy will improve and everybody
will be well-paid."

Prior to his departure back to Jakarta later in the day, Kalla
said the poetry was offending.

"I did not like it (the poetry). Is that the way a professor
behaves?" Kalla asked, referring to Winarno, who is a professor
of education.

Over 30,000 teachers across the country attended the
celebration, which was held amid a persistent outcry for
improvement in the salaries of around two million teachers
nationwide.

A group of teachers from the West Java town of Tasikmalaya and
the Central Java towns of Pekalongan and Rembang took to the
soccer field of the stadium to protest their low salaries.

One of the protesters, Muhammad Masruf of Rembang, said
teachers could not live with on their salaries.

"To develop the country, the government should improve
teachers' welfare. A younger teacher should earn at least Rp 1
million (US$1,000) per month," he said.

Another protester, Setiadi, urged the House of Representatives
to pass the teacher's bill in a bid to enhance the welfare of the
country's teachers.

Alfan Wahid of Probolinggo said some 7,000 teachers in the
East Javanese town would go on strike if the bill was not passed
by Dec. 6.

The House failed to complete deliberations on the bill last
week due to the unsettled debate on teacher's professional
allowances. The bill is expected to be passed by Dec. 6, after
both the lawmakers and the government agreed that teachers who
obtained a government-sanctioned competence certification would
receive Rp 1.7 million per month.

Certification will be conducted every year, but restricted to
teachers who hold a bachelor's degree or a four-year education
diploma.

Following the soccer-field protest, the Surakarta Police
detained and questioned Surachmat and Ruhiyat, both from
Tasikmalaya. They were released shortly thereafter.