Teachers in demand, civil servants not

JAKARTA (JP): Aspiring teachers face brighter job prospects than those hoping to join the civil service, according to speakers at a congress yesterday.

Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi yesterday said that in an effort to trim its bureaucracy, the government will not admit new civil servants for certain ministries for an indefinite period.

"Overstaffed ministries will not admit new employees for the time being," Silalahi said when addressing the 17th congress of the All Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI).

However, he declined to name which ministries would close their doors to new employees.

Silalahi said only that in principle the government hopes to maintain the number of civil servants at 4 million, and therefore the new recruits will be needed to replace those who retire.

The minister said the policy will not apply to teachers because more of them are needed to make the nine-year compulsory education program a success.

"This year some 50,000 civil servants will retire. Thus, the government will recruit the same number of new civil servants, of which 15,000 are teachers," Silalahi said.

Teachers

Silalahi said the government is not yet able to increase the profession allowances for teachers of elementary and high schools since the 1.4 million teachers equal almost half the total of civil servants.

"The problem is that the government cannot yet afford it because a slight budget increase for 1.4 million teachers translates into a large sum for the government," Silalahi said.

However, the government will give allowances for teachers working in remote areas, such as Maluku, Irian Jaya and Riau. Besides, they will also achieve more credit points, which will enable them to be promoted to higher salary grades.

Basyuni Suriamiharja, the current PGRI chairman who is likely to be re-elected for a fifth consecutive term, hailed the government's initiatives in promoting the welfare of teachers in remote areas.

"We are on the same wavelength, that is how best to promote teachers' welfare. I understand that although the government has limited funds for teachers, it is still trying to do its best," Basyuni told journalists yesterday.

Influences

Although teachers are not so well-paid, they are expected to be at the forefront to save the younger generation from negative foreign influences which continue to enter the country.

Minister of Information Harmoko said in addressing the congress that the influx of foreign cultures is an inevitable consequence of globalization, more so because Indonesia has adopted an open air policy.

"We cannot avoid this, so I hope PGRI will act as an effective filter and consequently take part in strengthening the resiliency of Indonesian culture," Harmoko said.

The role of teachers as cultural filters is becoming important, especially since more and more career women cannot give their children their full attention.

However, Harmoko stated that Indonesia is ready for the globalization of information and culture. "Learning from its history, Indonesia has proven able to adopt and adapt positive foreign influences to enrich Indonesian culture." (11)