Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's efforts to appoint honorary teachers as contract-based civil servants (PPPK) have drawn praise from Education International, according to Chairperson of the Indonesian Teachers' Association (PGRI), Unifah Rosyidi.
"The efforts … are appreciated because there is actually a massive shortage of teachers in the world," she said in Jakarta on Saturday.
Education International, a global teacher union based in Belgium, has conveyed its appreciation for Indonesia's efforts, specifically through its Voice Global Teacher campaign.
"PGRI has had a commitment from the start to propose to the government because it is the government that has the authority," she added.
The teacher shortage, she said, needs to be filled by hiring quality teachers. The number of honorary teachers appointed as PPPK by the government is just 540,000, still far below the ideal number of 1 million.
Rosyidi said that after their appointment, teachers must be returned to the school of origin. In other words, private teachers should be returned to private schools instead of being sent to state schools.
"Because our education still depends on the private sector and Indonesian children have the right to get a decent education. This is a form of the government's commitment to improving the quality of education," she explained.
A number of institutions have spoken out regarding the withdrawal of private teachers to the country, including Muhammadiyah, a large Islamic organization that runs many schools in Indonesia.
Therefore, she said she hopes that the government will return PPPK teachers to their original schools. This would be a manifestation of the government's presence to improve the quality of Indonesian education.
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Translator: Indriani, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Anton Santoso
