Teachers face challenges in restive provinces

Teachers face challenges in restive provinces

JAKARTA (JP): Being caught in the middle of violence and
facing death are sometimes the hazards of teaching in troubled
areas of Aceh and East Timor. The lesser hardships of working
with severely limited facilities and poor wages are also the
tribulations of being a teacher in these provinces.

Two teachers known as pamong belajar -- which are teachers who
are not posted in the one school but travel to various places
where their expertise is needed -- from the two provinces
recounted their experiences during a meeting with a group of
model teachers from the 27 provinces. The gathering was an annual
event to commemorate Aug. 17 Independence Day. Earlier on Friday
they met with President B.J. Habibie at Merdeka Palace.

Bustami has been posted around the volatile North Aceh
regency, where there has been a sharp resurgence of armed
conflicts between separatist guerrillas and the military. He
spoke of his experiences teaching in local schools. At least 140
school buildings have either been damaged or burned, and tens of
thousands of children have had to go without schooling in several
refugee centers.

The native Acehnese described how difficult it was for him to
"motivate" students to join his programs when unrest continued,
and said the people felt so defenseless they could not speak
about their pain.

"Many Acehnese children don't think they need education as
long as they can make money," he said.

He spoke of the absence of transportation for him and other
teachers to reach the wooded and mountainous hinterland of Aceh.
"Sometimes I have to travel for days, hitching a ride on any
available means of transportation, in order to reach the children
in the isolated areas," he said.

"Sometimes I can't find public transportation to take me back
home."

Another pamong, Siti Saleha, has been posted in Dili, the
capital of East Timor, where tension has been increasing ahead of
the self-determination vote planned for Aug. 30.

The migrant from Java said she often felt "squeezed" because
intimidation against migrants like her came from both the
proindependence and prointegration camps. "Fear often hampers my
teaching activities," she said.

"We are aware of the risks (of working in East Timor) and are
trying to cope with the challenges facing us because we have work
to do and because it's our responsibility."

Just like Bustami, Saleha has also had to make long trips to
reach children in several villages and camps. "Very often we have
to go to the children", as the children cannot reach the schools,
she said.

She recounted that some colleagues had frequently been caught
in violence, faced intimidation from locals, and even parents, if
they failed the children.

Minister of Education Juwono Sudarsono acknowledged that a
great number of teachers abandoned their posts in East Timor out
of fear of intimidation from the warring parties. "I appreciate
those who stay. They would be rewarded," Juwono promised.

A total of 54 model teachers and school principals and 27
study group leaders (pamong belajar) met with Habibie. (06)