Teacher Training Students at Crossroads

Sulyanto stood facing his students. The voice of the head of the business program at the Purnama Teaching and Education University was audible outside the classroom on Tuesday evening, speaking about business management.

Kompas/Riza Fathoni

Some rooms at the Teacher Training University (STKIP) Ar-Rahmaniyah in Citayam, Depok, West Java as seen on Thursday (8/3). The university offers education from kindergarten up to university.

Sulyanto, 61, stood facing his students. The voice of the head of the business program at the Purnama Teaching and Education University was audible outside the classroom on Tuesday evening (6/3), speaking about business management. In front of him were 50 teacher training students in their third year.

Several students wore safari jackets. During the day, the same room was used as a classroom for Purnama junior high school.

The C-accredited STKIP Purnama is part of the Purnama Foundation, which runs a junior high school (SMP), senior high school (SMA), a vocational school (SMK) and a higher learning institute for teacher training (STKIP). They are all located in a single complex in South Jakarta. The STKIP uses the same classrooms as the junior and senior high schools.

STKIP Purnama deputy chairman for academic affairs Sumantri said the institute was established in 1978. In the early days, the school aimed to help teachers without a university degree to attain qualifications. Today, its students come from many different backgrounds, from non-permanent teachers to store attendants and to general office staff. They all want to obtain a university degree.

“They are night courses because during the day, the students work for a living,” said Sumantri. The courses run from 6:15 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays to Wednesdays. STKIP Purnama has only one course, the business course, which covers administration and management.

Sumantri said the STKIP had not changed its vision and mission since it was established. The institute wants to provide an opportunity for everyone to earn a teaching degree, and sets its tuition at Rp 900,000 per semester, which can be paid in installments. There is no entrance exam, and applicants simply need to provide the required documents.

“Everyone has the right to earn a degree, regardless of whether they will become a teacher or not. Higher education should not be exclusive,” said Sumantri.

A degree is said to open more opportunities for jobs and promotions.

A total of 260 students are enrolled at the institute. Twelve people applied in the 2017-2018 academic year, while nine students attend class regularly. Meanwhile, the institute has 23 lecturers, comprising 12 permanent and 11 non-permanent lecturers.

Professional course

Anggi Tristianto, 23, is a fourth-year student who works as a non-permanent teacher at a private vocational school in West Jakarta. He just finished his residency (PPL) at a vocational school in Central Jakarta. “After graduation, I will return to West Jakarta and teach,” said Anggi, who teaches sports and business administration.

He said his was inspired to become a teacher by his parents, who could not attain their dream sof becoming teachers. His father now works as a taxi driver and his mother is a housewife. In 2012, Anggi graduated from a vocational school, majoring in business administration, and continued on to STKIP Purnama. He works as a non-permanent teacher in West Jakarta while pursuing higher studies.

Anggi wanted to enroll in a professional teaching program (PPG) because he wanted to become a civil servant and earn the certification allowance. He was also motivated to become a teacher after he met a residency student that was facing difficulties in the fieldwork component.

“I felt challenged to try and help improve the student,” he said. He said he hoped the school where he now teaches would be willing to support him in registering for the PPG certification.

Accepting the situation

The students in the teacher training program did not always dream of becoming a teacher. Lita MS, 24, who graduated from a business teacher program at a private university in East Jakarta, never thought of becoming a teacher. She wanted to earn the degree to broaden her opportunities. “It was hard to find school with affordable fees,” said Lita, whose father is a public transportation driver.

She chose an STKIP in East Jakarta. When she started the program in 2012, the registration fee was Rp 3 million, while tuition was Rp 600,000 per semester.

Lita said her desire to become a teacher grew as she pursued her studies. Even though she did not have much experience, she was attracted to the idea of becoming a teacher.

Her desire grew stronger when she taught as part of the course’s residency component in the seventh semester. But becoming a business teacher was not as easy as she thought. She could find no job vacancies for business teachers after graduation. The only job she found was a non-permanent teaching position at an elementary school near her house.

“People say that to become a full teacher, one has to be a non-permanent teacher first. I took the opportunity. I only needed to attend an interview and the school agreed to hire me without seeing my [qualifications],” said Lita.

Today, Lita earns Rp 1.2 per month, a third of the minimum wage in Jakarta. Although she had studied to become a business teacher, Lita adapted like a chameleon to teaching elementary school.

“The most important thing is for me to learn, and I am also mentored by senior teachers,” Lita said. Nevertheless, Lita was uncertain about her future as a teacher. A person’s educational background was critical to be promoted as a permanent teacher, whether as a civil servant or a private employee.

“I don’t know when will I be promoted as a permanent teacher, either. Even now, my contract extension is decided orally. I am thinking of taking the PPG [certification], but I have to save first. With a low salary, it is hard to continue my education,” Lita said.

Meanwhile, Juliana Tambunan, 24, never became a teacher after she graduated from the business teaching program. “Shortly after graduating in 2016, I applied for a position at a private school, but I never received a call,” she said. She was unemployed for some time until she was recruited by a telemarketing company. She took the two-month offer.

Studying at a teacher training institute is like learning at a crossroads.