Teachers are heroes without honors

Teachers are heroes without honors

From Pikiran Rakyat

Young teachers are like torches which give light and guide our lives. They wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to the progress of students. This was contained in President Soeharto's speech on the occasion of the observance of Teachers Day held in the Sriwedari stadium in Surakata, Central Java, on Nov. 25, 1995. I was deeply touched, and I believe other people were impressed too, by the President's sentiment for teachers.

Let us recall the time when we were still ignorant kids in elementary school, not knowing how to read, write, and count; our teachers laboriously taught us with full responsibility until we became adults of intelligence.

But sadly, by the time students become successful adults, such as noted state dignitaries or entrepreneurs, they often forget all about their former teachers. The President also said that "the merits and services of teachers are invaluable, something money can't buy."

Based on these suggestions, I think it would be most appropriate for the government to acknowledge the merits of teachers' and honor them by giving due attention to their welfare. Teachers deserve to be recognized as "Heroes without honors."

GUMELAR

Bandung, West Java