The plight of Indonesia's teachers

The plight of Indonesia's teachers

With the scare of a mass strike of public transportation
workers still fresh in their minds, Jakartans -- and Indonesians
elsewhere across the archipelago as well -- must now face the
prospect of the disruption of their children's education due to a
nationwide strike of teachers.

Teachers in various towns around Jakarta have already left
their posts in the past days to take their demand for better pay
to the national legislature and the authorities, and others --
with the apparent full support of the Indonesian Teachers Union
(PGRI). They have been threatening to begin a strike this week to
bolster their demand. Last Tuesday, nearly 200 teachers from
Jakarta and nearby towns left their classrooms to bring their
message to the attention of the House of Representatives. In
Bogor, Sukabumi and Yogyakarta they took to the streets to
protest the government's pay policy.

But while the very thought of thousands of idle youngsters
hanging around shopping malls and video arcades as their teachers
protest on the streets is bad enough, but there is particular
concern over the fact that the threatened strike could interrupt
the nationwide final school examinations scheduled to take place
in May. At its worst, what this could mean is that the whole
national agenda for the school year might have to be rescheduled,
with all the adverse consequences which this implies for students
and parents alike.

Hence, the appeal made earlier this week by the Minister of
National Education Yahya Muhaimin for teachers to refrain from
turning their threats into action can be taken to indicate that
the authorities are well aware of the importance of the role of
teachers in society.

Yet, the sad fact is teachers have been among the lowest paid
of public servants for many years. For many teachers of state
schools, monthly salaries do not cover their daily needs. A
teacher with nine years of service, for example, may earn as
little as the equivalent of US$22 a month.

It is mentioned in reports that a mere 1.4 percent of the
country's annual gross national product (GNP) is reserved in the
state budget for education. While such an amount is paltry in
comparison to the 6 percent or more set aside by more advanced
countries, it is minuscule when one takes into account the fact
that Indonesia's GNP is only a faction of those of the advanced
countries of the world. What makes it all especially painful for
teachers is the fact that the government has just decreed a 2,000
percent increase in basic allowances for top civil servants who
already enjoy special amenities such as government-supplied cars
and housing.

It was the English statesman Benjamin Disraeli who once said
that the fate of a country depends on the education of its
people. This is a truism that is hard to refute, and one which
Indonesians are well advised to heed, particularly in this era of
globalization and breakneck progress in practically all fields of
modern life.

There seems to be a general consensus at present in this
country that educational standards are generally low, even
compared to some other developing countries. There is no other
alternative, Indonesia must make every effort to catch up if it
seriously wishes to modernize and become a respected member of
the world community of nations.

For that to be possible, Indonesians must begin to pay serious
attention to improving its education system and standards. That,
obviously, is not an easy task to undertake. Yet the decision
must be made. The first step, obviously, is to improve the
quality of the nation's teachers so that a new generation of
Indonesians may arise capable of answering the challenges of the
future.