Teachers seek higher incentives

TANGERANG: The Tangerang educational office proposed to the municipal council on Friday a 1,000 percent increase in monthly incentive payments for its employees, including teachers.

In a hearing with the legislative council here head of the educational office Harry Mulya Zain said that the proposed increase would be applied only this year, starting September.

"It will apply to all teachers of both state and private elementary schools, junior and senior high schools, as well as school employees, including school keepers," Harry told reporters after the hearing. He did not explain why his office had demanded the increase start in September, but said that there would be another plan for next year.

He said that should the council approve the proposal each school principal would receive a new monthly incentive payment of Rp 100,000, while teachers and clerical staff would receive Rp 75,000 each and a school keeper Rp 50,000.

The municipality now has 8,000 teachers at 415 elementary schools and 5,000 others working for 200 state and private junior and senior high schools.

Separately, a teacher at state senior high school in Suka Asih subdistrict welcomed the proposal, saying that the administration should heed teachers' complaints. --JP