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.