Teachers call for law providing legal protection
Teachers call for law providing legal protection
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Teachers, long deploring small pay and being treated as "cash
cows" by corrupt officials, are calling for a law that provides
legal protection.
They say that although corruption between school
administrators and government officials is very well-known, their
activities have received inadequate attention from authorities.
Teachers grouped in the Education Advocacy Institute (LAP) and
Indonesian Forum for Contract Teachers (FGHI) accompanied by the
Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) raised their concerns Tuesday
with the Jakarta City Administration, the Jakarta Provincial
Legislative Council and the Ministry of Education.
LAP chairman Sonny Sumarsono said when meeting with ministry
officials that teachers were helpless because the relevant
agencies turned a "deaf ear" to their troubles.
"They simply do not follow up our reports," Sonny said.
The Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), the official
organization, has been considered ineffective because most of its
executives are also ministry bureaucrats.
It has been widely criticized for being "insensitive" to
teacher needs, especially their demand for better welfare.
Teachers at private schools are subject to arbitrary dismissal
and their meager salaries subject to "unexplained deductions,"
according to Sonny.
Supriyono, FGHI's chairman, pointed out that the condition
would never improve unless teachers were provided with legal
protection.
Contract teachers are the most vulnerable to discrimination in
terms of salary, employment status and opportunities to pursue
higher education and promotion.
"We teachers live in constant fear. We can lose our job any
time. We need a clear rule on the minimum wage level and
employment status," Supriyono said.
Heni Yulianto of ICW insisted that a law for teachers was
necessary to improve teachers' bargaining position.
"Workers have strong backing from international bodies such as
the International Labor Organization (ILO) but teachers don't
have such support and are always in a difficult position," Heni
said.
Ministry officials promised to look into the teachers'
complaints.
Sunardi Dwidjosoesastro, the ministry's spokesman, said the
government was considering a law that would address teacher
needs.
But the teachers have little hope that any law protecting them
would come about in the near future, because the government is
still working on a revision of Law No. 2/1989 on the national
education system, which has been submitted to the House of
Representatives.
"The law on teacher protection will only be considered after
the education bill is passed," Sunardi said.