Lack Of 1,261 SMA-SMK Teachers, West Papua Tambal Using PPPK Status Lecturers

Illustration of high school students. (Between)

PAPUA - West Papua Province still lacks 1,261 high school and vocational teachers. This number consists of 747 high school teachers and 514 for SMK.

Head of West Papua Education and Culture Barnabas Dowansiba said, to overcome the shortage of high school and vocational teachers, his staff immediately appointed teachers with government employee status with a Work Agreement (PPPK).

"We have recruited PPPK teachers and are currently waiting for the placement decree. The decree is already on the governor's desk to be signed immediately," said Dowansiba in Manokwari, West Papua, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, October 25.

According to him, the shortage of teachers is an important problem because building quality education in West Papua requires the involvement and active role of teachers.

"If there are no teachers, it is the same, then it is impossible for us to create a quality generation of people, it is impossible for one teacher to teach all children," explained Dowansiba.

So far, the West Papua Provincial Government has recruited PPPK teachers three times. A total of 600 teachers were recruited in the first and second batch, while in the third wave there were 172 teachers who received PPPK decrees.

With the 772 PPPK teachers, he said, half of the shortage of high school and vocational teachers has been resolved.

Gradually, the West Papua Education and Culture Office will meet the needs of high school and vocational teachers in all districts/cities so that there are no more classes that do not have teachers.

"We are targeting that by 2023 the shortage of teachers in West Papua can be resolved, especially many teacher graduates from public and private universities. These teachers are new teachers in the appointment of PPPK, not transferred from one school to another," he explained.

As at the high school and vocational level, the shortage of teachers is much greater at the basic education level, namely elementary and junior high schools, which are currently being handed over to district/city governments.

In this regard, Dowansiba asked district/city governments in West Papua to provide a budget to send special teachers to fill the shortage of teachers in their respective regions.