Teachers deserve fair compensation for the difficult work they do

Teachers deserve fair compensation for the difficult work they do

Ardimas Sasdi, Jakarta

One of the mistakes the nation has made in the course of 60
years, and now has to pay for dearly, is that it has neglected
educators, the people who bestow knowledge on our children and
the skills needed to live in a highly competitive age and
democracy.

Tragically, the nation continues to make the same mistakes
over and over.

The tragedy occurred because the focus of development in
education has been on physical aspects like the construction of
school buildings, colleges and universities, which is good in
order to provide education for all. But the country has done very
little to improve the standards and quality of the education
system, the training and welfare of teachers.

The best the government did was to open teachers' schools and
colleges, adopt new testing systems and overhaul the curriculum
-- now Indonesia has had six in all, including the 2004
competency-based curriculum.

The effect has been disastrous -- Indonesia is lagging behind
the neighboring countries that invested aggressively in
education. Some might be vexed by this example, but like it or
not, Malaysia, which sent its students to study at our
universities in the 1970s, is overtaking us.

For countries like Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan -- who
have become Asian economic tigers -- education is a top priority.
Their people and governments have a common view on the vital role
of education for the country's development.

This common goal is reflected in an unflinching commitment to
improve the education system, including better training, welfare
and respect for teachers. The salaries of teachers in the these
countries are quite high, so that they can buy houses, cars and
send their children to good schools. In Indonesia, teachers are
paid between Rp 600,000 (US$ 60) and Rp 1.8 million a month -- an
amount not sufficient to live on.

With a budgetary outlay of around 7 percent of the gross
domestic product (GDP) per year on average in the past few
decades -- the lowest among Asian countries that earmarked over
20 percent -- plus the widespread corruption, there was little
Indonesia could do to improve its education system and teachers'
welfare.

The impacts are many and far-reaching.

Many of our teachers are not qualified due to substandard
training, although we have a large pool of teachers. Ministry of
National Education reports show that a large chunk of around two
million primary and secondary school teachers are not competent
in their jobs.

"This fact is already public knowledge, but we cannot do much
to rectify the situation as the problem is beyond the capacity of
an individual or a group to solve," a professor lamented.

For teachers and lecturers the condition is indeed no less
difficult. Reactions have differed, depending on their
conditions. Some resigned to their fate, but others took side
jobs, including jobs with no fixed income, like riding an ojek
(motorcycle taxi) or opening small shops in their houses to
supplement their meager salaries.

Talented teachers, especially notable scholars, moonlight as
lecturers, consultants and advisors for government agencies,
private companies and multi-national firms -- of course at the
expense of ignorant students. But the moonlighting problem is
like the chicken-and-the-egg theory. On one side the public
expect teachers to work and act like professionals in order to
get higher income and respect, while on the other side, teachers
say it is useless to talk about commitment if they cannot feed
their families.

The low financial rewards and respect also make teaching jobs
unattractive to the best and brightest talents, resulting in
these positions being filled by people who lack competence or
"reluctant graduates", who became teachers because they could not
get higher paying jobs.

An urban planner taught at a private university in Padang,
West Sumatra assuming that he had contributed to the development
of knowledge, but quit in his third year due to the meager
salary. "The small salary is an insult to the intelligence," said
the engineer.

Despite their meager salaries and lack of respect, teachers,
who are responsible for teaching our children knowledge and life
skills, are used as scapegoats by the government and the public
over the maladies in the education system, such as poor
examination results, juvenile delinquency, drug addition and
other social ills.

That is why the long-awaited bill on teachers now being
deliberated by the House of Representatives, despite some
loopholes in it, should be warmly greeted like a light at the end
of a tunnel. The bill, complementary to the Constitution
requiring the state to set aside 20 percent of the budget for
education, will give stronger legal recognition to the teaching
profession, forcing the government to raise the salaries of
teachers in a small step toward the overhaul of our education
system.

Why?

It is nonsense to talk about changes in education if the
budget is small and the fate of teachers is neglected. High-rise
buildings, modern curriculums and bright students are important,
but these will not mean much without good teachers, whose
positions as transferrers of knowledge are irreplaceable.

Teaching is unquestionably a high-calling profession, but
teachers are just human beings. Proper education and training
would make them experts in their fields, and a decent income
would allow them to concentrate on their jobs and regain self-
respect.

Teachers's Day on Nov. 29 is the right momentum for the nation
to give teachers their long-delayed right -- a decent income and
respect. Teachers need the 'materials' to do their jobs, although
they may not ask for medals, as the popular saying goes, pahlawan
tanpa tanda jasa they are our (unsung heroes).

The author is a staff writer of the Jakarta Post and a
lecturer at the Department of Communication of the University of
Indonesia. He can be reached at ardi05@thejakartapost.com.