Education Still Relies on Contract Teachers
Contract teachers remain the main solution in coping with the shortage of teachers in the country. They are required to educate professionally, but with minimal salaries.
Contract teachers remain the main solution in coping with the shortage of teachers in the country. They are required to educate professionally, but with minimal salaries. The pandemic has caused them to suffer even more.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The term contract teachers, locally known as “honorer”, is no longer relevant to the education system. Law No. 14/2005 concerning teachers and lecturers stipulates that teachers are professional educators. However, in practice, education still relies on contract teachers because there is a shortage of professional educators.
According to data on the Education and Cultural Ministry’s website, kemdikbud.go.id , for the 2019/2020 school year, the number of permanent teachers with the status of civil servant (PNS) reached a total of 1,288,336 people (47.75 percent) and the number of permanent teachers at private schools totaled 420,238 people (15.57 percent) . Meanwhile, the number of contract teachers, which includes assistant teachers of 564 people (0.02 percent), regional contract workers (paid by local governments) of 201,242 people (7.46 percent) and contract teachers in general reached a total of 787,823 (29.20 percent).
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The proportion of contract teachers in educational institutions under the Religious Affairs Ministry is even larger. Of the 750,771 teachers at early childhood to secondary education, 624,558 people or about 83.2 percent were on contracts.
The National Coordinator of the Association for Education and Teachers (P2G), Satriwan Salim, said education in Indonesia still relied heavily on contract teachers. "Contract teachers are very helpful [for education]," Satriwan told Kompas in Jakarta on Sunday (22/11/2020).
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Although a number of contract teachers have been certified, which according to the Education and Cultural Ministry reached a total 16,655 people, not including those in Jakarta, the contract teachers cannot be considered professional educators. According Satriwan , there are four factors for teachers to be categorized as professional teachers, namely competence, welfare, protection and psychology (really like the profession).
However, in a number of regions, contract teachers have become the backbone as the number of permanent teachers with status as civil servants or PNS is quite limited. The contract teachers were recruited to meet the shortage of teachers because the number of permanent teachers recruited by the government could not meet the number of teachers who had entered retirement. The difference in income they receive compared to teachers with a status of civil servant is so wide. In addition to the monthly wage, the permanent teachers with PNS status also receive certification and social security allowances.
Based on data from the Education and Culture Minister, Indonesia has a shortage of 1,020,921 teachers. If it is included the number of teachers who retire every year, by 2024 there will be a shortage of around 1.3 million teachers.
Heavy burden
In Banda Aceh city, Aceh province, the shortage of the permanent teachers appointed by the government (PNS teachers) must be covered by contract teachers. Even though the wages are small, the contract teachers bear the heavy burden of improving the quality of education in the country.
Maria Ulfa (34), a contract teacher at SD 72 state elementary school in Banda Aceh, said she was willing to teach even though her salary was only Rp 230,000 (US$15.86 ) per month. Maria was given the task of being the homeroom teacher for grade I. "Actually, I can do a lot of other work, but I have dreamed of wanting to be a teacher since I was a teenager," he said.
Despite her status as a contract teacher, Maria has the same duties and responsibilities as a PNS teacher. "The only difference is salary. But I am sincere because this is a life choice, ”said Maria. Because not all of her students had mobile phones, during this pandemic, Maria had to go to her student\'s house to teach. "I will do whatever it is so that the children can learn," she said.
In Lampung, the head of the Raden Intan aviation vocational high school, Suprihatin , said that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the contract teachers in private schools to suffer even more.
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Apart from the difficulty in adopting distance learning (PJJ), the financial conditions of the private schools had worsened because a number of parents had to postpone payment of school tuition.
They have to obtain loans third parties because the disbursement of school operational assistance (BOS) funds from the government is often late, while payment of teacher salaries and school operational costs has to be made every month.
So far, the foundations, which run the private schools , have difficulties in paying the salaries of the teachers on time. They have to obtain loans third parties because the disbursement of school operational assistance (BOS) funds from the government is often late, while payment of teacher salaries and school operational costs has to be made every month.
Until now, many contract teachers have not received a wage subsidy from the government. Some teachers who wanted to register as recipients of the wage subsidy have had a hard time registering due to internet connection problems. Even though they tried to register early in the morning, they were still unable to get the connection. "The non-permanent teachers have to struggle even just to get help from the government," he said.
In Ambon, Maluku, the pandemic has not dampened the spirit of contract teachers. They teach at the risk of being infected without a guarantee of safety from the schools.
The salary they receive is not much, not worth the sacrifices and risks they face . Normalina Nisdoam, a teacher at SD Sabuai elementary school, said, that within a month, she was paid Rp 100,000 (US$7) with five hours of teaching from Monday to Saturday.
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Based on a survey conducted by the Indonesian Teachers Association in 2020, of the 24,835 contract teachers surveyed, around 64 percent had a monthly salary of between Rp 250,000 and Rp 1 million.
According to the National Coordinator of the Association for Education and Teachers, only in Jakarta do contract teachers receive a monthly salary in line with the provincial minimum wage. In other provinces, their salaries are below the minimum wage.
Meanwhile, the Bandung city administration has distributed a quality improvement honoraria (HPM) allowance to 7,000 contract teachers during the pandemic. "The allowance is in accordance with teacher specifications, namely between Rp 2 million and Rp 3 million per teacher," said the head of the Bandung city education office, Hikmat Ginanjar. (IKA/MED/AIN/IKI/RTG/VIO/FRN/ KOR/BRO/ETA)