Fighting for Teachers’ Welfare
The professional allowance for teachers as regulated in Law Number 14 of 2005 is proof of the government's efforts to improve the welfare of teachers.
A teacher in South Nias, North Sumatra, Alnoferi (30), provides counseling services to his students.
Teachers are professional educators. As professional educators, teachers must be prosperous because they play a crucial role in educating students.
The welfare of teachers is manifested in the form of professional allowances for teachers holding an educator certificate, formal evidence of government recognition of teachers as professional educators. The one-month basic salary allowance applies to teachers who are state civil servants (ASN) or private teachers.
The professional allowance for teachers as regulated in Law Number 14 of 2005 is proof of the government's efforts to improve the welfare of teachers. However, the professional allowance has been removed from the National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas), drawing protests from teachers. The government's commitment to improve the welfare of teachers is being questioned. The allowance will be regulated in a different ruling.
If, at present, only teachers who have an educator certificate are "prosperous", in the future all teachers are entitled to receive a decent income without waiting for an educator certificate.
According to the government, as explained by the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry, the separation of certification arrangements from allowances for teachers will enable the government to promote the welfare of all teachers, not just civil servant teachers but also private teachers (Kompas, 16/9/2022). If, at present, only teachers who have an educator certificate are "prosperous", in the future all teachers are entitled to receive a decent income without waiting for an educator certificate.
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It is natural if the government’s argument cannot be accepted by the teachers. The Law on Teachers and Lecturers, which clearly regulates the allowance for professional teachers, cannot yet be fulfilled by the government. It will be even more difficult if there are no clear rules. The government states that a decent income for teachers is regulated in the Civil Servant Law for civil servant teachers and in the Manpower Law for non-civil servant teachers. However, the two laws do not regulate the existence of professional allowances as stated in the Teacher and Lecturer Law.
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Pandu Smart Elementary School teacher Aguste Bangsuil (55, right) together with two local residents tidy up teaching materials at Pandu Smart Elementary School, Manado, North Sulawesi, on Wednesday (24/7/2019).
The threat of having lower incomes also haunts teachers who have been receiving professional allowances. The provision stating that an allowance will still be given as long as the teacher meets the requirements is considered unclear. No doubt, only a gloomy picture of "the fate of the teacher" emerges. Moreover, in the National Education System Bill, it is not clear how the management of teachers in the country will be carried out. It is a basic problem that has been carried by teachers and education observers for a long time.
For example, the existence of non-permanent teachers and the recruitment of government employees under contract agreements have been widely debated.
Even though the existing law and the National Education System Bill has stipulated teachers as professional educators, the management of teachers is still far from professional. As a result, polemics arise when the government issues regulations, including the issue related to the welfare of existing teachers. For example, the existence of non-permanent teachers and the recruitment of government employees under contract agreements have been widely debated.
With the deliberation of the National Education System Bill, it should provide an opportunity for us to discuss and design the right policy that can clearly determine the obligations and rights of teachers. Teachers have often protested about teacher management because it is related to their basic rights. Teachers’ protests should be considered as a reminder on the need to organize and manage teachers professionally as they are educators of the nation.
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)
