Teachers get sympathy aplenty and little else

Teachers get sympathy aplenty and little else

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of the House of Representatives
expressed sympathy for poorly paid teachers on Tuesday but fell
short of endorsing their plan for a massive strike this week.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the legislative body would
propose a significant increase in the salaries of teachers. The
increase is important to improve the quality of education, he
said.

"Teachers deserve a significant hike in salary because our
children's futures are in their hands," he said commenting on the
wave of demonstrations by teachers in several cities.

Akbar made no firm commitment whether the House would push for
an increase within the current fiscal year that began on April 1.

The House has already endorsed the government budget for the
new financial year which saw a 30 percent across-the-board
increase in the salary of civil servants, including state
teachers, and a 100 percent increase in functional allowances for
teachers.

Teachers in various towns have protested against the pay
policy saying the increase fell short of expectations, especially
considering that the government was awarding up to 9,000 percent
increase in basic allowances for top civil servants.

Teachers have threatened to go on strike this week and
possibly boycott nationwide school examinations in May if their
demands are not met.

Many state schools in Bogor and Sukabumi (West Java), and
Bantul (Yogyakarta) were closed on Monday as teachers took to the
streets to protest against the government's pay policy.

On Tuesday, nearly 200 teachers from Jakarta and nearby towns
gathered at the House of Representatives to keep up the pressure
on the government.

Akbar said the House planned to revise the 1992 Law on
National Education to improve the remuneration system for
teachers, including greater legal protection for the profession.

House Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar, who met with the
demonstrators, said the legislative body would summon Minister of
National Education Yahya Muhaimin to discuss revision of the 1992
law.

"The law should be amended soon to pave the way for
improvement in the employment conditions of teachers," he said.

Yahya said his National Awakening Party (PKB) had already
drafted a proposed amendment that would be brought to the House
for deliberation.

Tuesday's protest at the House complex turned into an
emotional rally as teachers took turns describing the hardships
and humiliation they have had to endure.

The male teachers yelled their demands for higher salaries
while women teachers embraced one another in tears.

Sriningsih, who teaches at a state elementary school in
Balaraja, Tangerang, said she and her colleagues had resorted to
the protests because they had no other recourse to make their
demands known to the public.

"Many teachers cannot continue because their salaries do not
cover their daily needs," she said, adding that her nine-year
service in the profession is only worth Rp 165,000 ($22) a month.

The Association of Indonesian Teachers (PGRI) hailed the
teachers' protests as the culmination of decades of pent up
frustration.

"Teachers have the right to go on strike," PGRI chairman
Mohammad Surya, who joined the protesting teachers, said.

"They are not asking for wealth. They want more humane
treatment for their profession," Surya said.

In Yogyakarta, governor Hamengkubuwono X promised on Tuesday
to fight for a 100 percent increase in teachers' salaries.

"We can no longer afford to delay improving teachers' living
conditions lest we sacrifice our children's future," he said
after receiving a delegation of 15 teachers.

Mochtar Buchori, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle and an education expert, hailed the teachers'
actions to fight for better remuneration.

"It's about time teachers stood up for themselves because no
one else is apparently paying attention to their fate," he said.

"By going on strike, everybody will have to listen to the
teachers' aspirations. I think their demands are fair and not
exaggerated because they are in a very poor situation," he said.
(44/dja/rms)