Teachers perform poorly due to debt

SERUI, Irian: Most of the 1,873 teachers in Yapen Waropen regency are deep in debt, making them unable to perform their duties well, said chairman of the local Indonesian Teachers Union in the regency, Orie Runtuboy, here on Wednesday.

"The teachers buy their daily necessities on credit. They have to borrow money from banks or money lenders to send their children to study in the capital city of Jayapura," Rontuboy said.

During the induction ceremony of the new management of the Local Indonesian Teachers Union, Rontuboy appealed to the Minister of Education, Malik Fajar to raise the teachers' wages by 50 percent to enable them to make ends meet.

Yerry Haurissa, the head of the education department in the province vowed to improve the welfare of the teachers as he said teachers played a key role in human resources development. --Antara