Hervina, Portrait of a Contract Teacher who is Still Marginalized

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Agustina, an honorary teacher at SD Negeri 70 Banda Aceh is teaching in a classroom.

The recent dismissal of Hervina, a contract-based teacher in Bone, South Sulawesi, is an example of the lack of government attention toward contract teachers, who have been essential in coping with the shortage of teachers in the country.

In the last few days, a story about the dismissal of Hervina (34), a contract teacher at SD 169 elementary school in Sadar, Bone regency, South Sulawesi, had gone viral on WhatsApp . It occurred shortly after Hervina uploaded information related to her earnings from the school onto her Facebook account.

Hervina uploaded a handwritten note on a piece of paper that indicated that she received payment of Rp 700,000 (US$50) as her salary for the last four months from the school’s operational assistance fund (BOS) provided by the government.

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In the note, she described that she would use Rp 500,000 of the payment to pay her debt and another Rp 100,000 would go to her mother and Rp 50,000 each for her two children, Aqwan and Alyia. At the bottom of the note, she wrote; “Where is my share?".

The posting attracted a wide response. The next day, she received a WhatsApp message from Jumarang, the husband of Hamsina who is the principal of the school where Hervina teaches. Jumarang was the principal of the school before Hamsina, his wife, took over the job. It was also Jumarang who asked Hervina to teach at the school when she was still in college.

Kompas/Riza Fathoni

A teacher leads a classroom activity on Thursday (8/3/2018) at the Ar-Rahmaniyah Teacher Training and Education Institute (STKIP) in Citayam, Depok, West Java.

In that message, Jumarang said, "Just stop teaching. Just look for another school that can pay a higher salary. "

When contacted on Tuesday (16/2/2021) in Bone, Hervina said that she did not intend to insult the school principal with her posting. She uploaded it because she was relieved that the BOS funds had been finally disbursed.

During 16 years of teaching in the elementary school, Hervina acknowledged that she received a salary of Rp 6 million a year from the local government. After an income tax deduction, she received about Rp 500,000 a month. In addition, she also received Rp 700,000 every four months from the BOS fund assistance.

Weak position

Whatever the reason, the dismissal of a contract teacher who had taught for years without a proper salary indicates the weak position of contract teachers. It also shows that there is still a lack of attention toward the matter. Although they have become the backbone in coping with the shortage of teachers, they can also be dismissed at any time.

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The head of the advocacy division of the Education and Teacher Association (P2G), Iman Zanatul Haeri, said that Hervina\'s dismissal violated the Education and Culture Minister’s Regulation Number 10 of 2017 concerning protection against teachers. According to this regulation, every teacher has the right to legal or professional protection.

Article 2 Paragraph (3) of the regulation states, teachers must be protected from threats, discriminatory treatment, intimidation, and unfair treatment. Paragraph (4) states the protection of the teaching profession against unreasonable remuneration and restrictions in the expression of opinion.

It means that schools and the government are obliged to provide a decent salary for teachers.

As stated in Article 3 Paragraph (1) of the regulation, it is the responsibility of the government, local government, and education units or schools to protect teachers. It means that schools and the government are obliged to provide a decent salary for teachers.

Hervina\'s dismissal also had no legal ground. According to the deputy secretary general of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers\' Unions (FSGI), Fahriza Marta Tanjung, the dismissal has the potential to violate Law (UU) No. 14/2005 on Teachers and Lecturers.

They cannot be dismissed only because they share the information about their salary on social media or because there is a placement of permanent teachers (civil servant teachers).

Article 30 Paragraph (1) of the Teacher and Lecturer Law states that the a teacher can be dismissed by education providers only if he or she asks for resignation or due to the termination of their contracts. They cannot be dismissed only because they share the information about their salary on social media or because there is a placement of permanent teachers (civil servant teachers).

The question is whether the appointment of civil servant teachers should replace the contract teachers, while the number of contract teachers alone is still not enough to cope with the shortage of civil servant teachers in public schools? According to Heru Purnomo, the secretary-general of FSGI, it indicates the government\'s inaccuracy in mapping teacher needs.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Wirda, an honorary teacher teaches grade 1 students of SD Negeri Larangan Selatan 02, Larangan, Tangerang City, Banten, on Thursday (13/2/2020).

The secretary of the Directorate General of Teachers and Education Personnel of the Education and Culture Ministry, Nunuk Suryani, said that the ministry together with the Bone regency education office had been looking for middle ground to solve Hervina’s problem.

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The ministry will give Hervina an opportunity to participate in the selection of government-appointed teachers with a work agreement (PPPK). By becoming a government teacher through the PPPK selection procedure, Hervina will get legal certainty and decent salary.

“If I get an opportunity, I want to teach again at the school where I have served so far. However, I don\'t know the decision yet. I wish for the best, "said Hervina.

There should be no more cases like Hervina\'s in the future. Siding with contract teachers is also a form of support for the country’s education.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)