Viral Teacher's Salary At Ende Rp250 Thousand, When Service Breaks Forest Paid 'Seada'

Illustration of children paying attention to lessons (Photo by Yannis H on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Video of the confessions of several teachers at SMKN VI Ende, Flores, NTT who received a salary of Rp. 250 thousand a month, went viral on social media. Commission X of the DPR assesses that the inequality of teacher welfare between large areas and remote areas is no longer a secret.

"This is a sad portrait of Indonesian education in the regions. We often meet conditions like this in remote areas," said Member of Commission X DPR RI Andreas Hugo Pareira, Monday, August 5.

Many teachers in the regions have minimal welfare. Especially honorary teachers, whose salaries are often paid for months.

Not to mention, the salaries earned by teachers in the area are not comparable to their struggle to teach. Teachers in remote areas often have to go through tough terrain to get to school to teach children.

"Only with capital does the spirit of service make these teachers survive educating students who are also with simplicity determined to change their fate through the world of education," he said.

"We often find teachers in remote areas have to walk for hours to teach, they go in and out of the forest and valley, through steep paths, crossing rivers with makeshift facilities, and so on," Andreas continued.

The DPR continues to encourage the Government to help improve the resources of teachers and facilities in the 3TP area (Disadvantaged, Outermost and Poorest) so that there is no imbalance in the quality of education. Andreas said that inequality in teacher resources is one of the causes of the gap in the quality of education in cities and regions.

One of the problems of education in Indonesia is the inequality of the quality of education between schools and the quality of education in the city and those in the village. Due to the poor infrastructure facilities, the quality of teachers and the guarantee of welfare for teachers," he explained.

Andreas reminded the importance of the state to deal with the welfare problems of honorary teachers, especially in 3TP areas and outside Java. A great appreciation and appreciation should be given by the Government for teachers who are willing to serve with sincerity for the education of Indonesian children so that they are not left behind.

"The presence of the state is very important in the world of education, especially to change the fate of teachers, students by obtaining adequate welfare for their lives and futures," Andreas explained.

"They have served sincerely and made a big contribution to the progress of the nation and state by educating the nation's children. We have to pay attention," added the legislator from the NTT I electoral district.

Andreas also emphasized that to achieve quality education, quality educators are also needed. So that the next generation of the nation can receive a decent education from professional and quality educators.

Andreas assessed that until now the Government has not taken definite steps against the fate of honorary teachers in Indonesia, which is a very large number. Even though many honorary teachers have remained loyal to teaching with limited and alarming conditions for decades.

"The government's promises to appoint honorary teachers to become PPPK have not been fully realized and are still under ongoing discussions. We should prioritize teachers who really serve to be appointed as ASN," he said.

"This nation will not achieve quality education if it is poor, quality teachers. And if teachers earn modest income, they are also not optimal in teaching. These are all cause and effect," Andreas continued.

Seperi diketahui, video yang diunggah oleh Karyn, pemilik akun TikTok @Karryn11 berhasil menarik perhatian para netizen. Dalam video itu, Karyn bersama beberapa orang temannya mengaku tetap bertahan dan semangat menjak meski hanya dibayar Rp 250,000 per bulan.

The viral video received a response from Acting Regent Ende, Agustinus G Ngasu, who stated that he would complain about the actions of a number of SMKN 6 Ende teachers to the NTT Provincial Government. He questioned the ethics of the teachers, and questioned their employment status because it was suspected that someone was PPPK.

Andreas assessed that the local government should make the aspirations of the teachers part of the evaluation.

"There should be no need for resistance. Make it an input and how the Government makes improvements. Because the conditions of teachers in the regions are quite alarming, especially honorary teachers," he said.

The rules for the teacher's salary are contained in Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers. Article 15 paragraph (3) regulates the salary rules for honorary teachers, which are stated that salaries for teachers who are appointed by educational units organized by the community are based on work agreements or collective work agreements.

According to Andreas, Indonesia really needs educators who have loyalty and enthusiasm in producing quality generations. One of the homework that must be completed immediately is literacy problems.

Recently, a viral video has reappeared showing dozens of students of SMP Negeri 1 Mangunjaya, Pangandaran Regency, West Java who cannot read. This is a serious problem that must be resolved by the Government.

"If we pay attention to the welfare of honorary teachers, they will educate wholeheartedly. This will reduce cases like that because they will have a more sense of responsibility for their profession," said Andreas.

There are 29 students who have not been able to read it. The news was conveyed by the teacher of SMPN 1 Mangunjaya as well as the Coordinator of the School Literacy Movement (GLS), Dian Eka Purnamasari.

In 2019 the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) through the "Indonesian National Assessment Program" conducted an assessment or survey related to this. The results are known, only 6.06 percent of students in the country have good reading skills. The rest is 47.11 percent enough and 46.83 percent more have the ability to read less.

Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives in charge of education affairs encourages the government to improve the quality of education at the elementary level. According to Andreas, the basics of literacy must be built firmly from an early age.

"Through increasing teacher competence, implementing early intervention programs, and increasing access to educational resources, we can ensure that every student has the reading skills needed for the success of academics and their lives," he said.

Furthermore, Andreas also reminded the government to focus on inclusive education where elementary school teachers must be trained in order to identify and support students with special needs, including those with linguistic difficulties. Inclusive education programs must be designed to meet the needs of all students without exception.

"We will encourage the government to make significant improvements. It can be done by increasing inclusive education or collaborating with parents and communities in monitoring and learning children," Andreas concluded.