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.