Managing Teachers with Promises

The government announced on Tuesday (17/11/2020) that contract teachers would be given the opportunity to take online tests in 2021 in hopes of gaining civil servant status. This is to be realized through the scheme of government employees on a contract basis or PPSK.

The government has reportedly set the target of appointing a million contract teachers as civil servants (PNS). Besides the status promotion, contract teachers are also promised to receive incentives during the pandemic. For a period of three months, non-PNS madrasah (Islamic school) teachers will get a pay subsidy of Rp600,000. As claimed by the government, there are 543,928 raudlatul atfal (kindergarten)/madrasah teachers. Therefore, the government has budgeted Rp979,070.400. Meanwhile, 93,480 non-PNS Islamic education teachers in state schools will also receive aid.

Also read: Problems of Contract Teachers

Apart from promises and budgets, it should be questioned, what is more than mere money and food consumption? How should the government policy be designed for the future management of teachers? What is its implication for the education quality promotion of Indonesia?

Empty promises

The future of contract teachers isn’t filled with promises. Previously there were also such pledges. These promises were made following a public outcry over the pay of contract teachers considered to be below the decent standard of living. Some of them dwelled in restrooms, did casual work and dared to threaten to kill government officials for the betterment of their livelihood.

Also read: Non-Permanent Teachers Still Not Prosperous Despite Decades of Devotion

They have executed their job for decades and have not enjoyed adequate improvement in their living conditions. What has happened was that the government promises were rarely fulfilled. In fact, the obligation of contract teachers is similar to that of their PNS counterparts. Even quite often, due to their contract status, they are hazed by being subjected to extra tasks as their position is deemed “unsafe”. For this reason, more than just promises, strategic measures should be taken by the government before it’s too late.

Kompas/Ismail Zakaria

Carrying her six-month-old child, Wistinar Taileleo (31), a non-permanent teacher, carries out her duties to teach at a filial school or branch of SDN 13 Bulasat, Pagai Selatan District, Mentawai Islands Regency, West Sumatra, Monday (7/3/2016) .

First, a preference policy should be prepared. What is more urgent is not to offer the civil servant status as a lure, but rather to direct the management of contract teachers at the level of educational units. The livelihoods of contract teachers highly depend on the “kindness” of school principals and treasurers.

A policy that is partial toward the livelihood of contract teachers is more lasting because in the future there will always be contract teachers. The government certainly will not make promises to upcoming contract teachers.

Also read:Education Still Relies on Contract Teachers

Second, the culture of PNS teachers should be changed. The feeling of comfort as PNS makes teachers’ performance stagnant. This stems from the reality that the culture of knowledge of teachers within schools is inversely proportional to that of those outside. Newly entering teachers gain knowledge outside of schools faster than their counterparts within school confines who no longer update their knowledge and technology.

PNS teachers have become stagnant. On various occasions when I was touring Indonesian Archipelago to provide 2013 curriculum counseling, I met with different kinds of teachers. The counseling was meant to communicate the curriculum’s model of learning and scientific learning. At the time, young teachers were more adaptive to change than senior ones.

Also read: Maintaining Teacher Quality

Not long ago I was a resource person at a digital literacy workshop organized by the Education and Culture Ministry. The program aimed at changing offline into online learning through digital technology media. They were asked to create the media content. The workshop’s results showed that young teachers were more digitally literate than their seniors. This indicates knowledge discrepancy. It’s obvious that the problem of knowledge of old and young teachers has remained untouched by the government.

KOMPAS/LASTI KURNIA

Eka Puspitasari holding her child while teaching first and second grade at SDN Sukasari, Tegalbuleut, Sukabumi, Thursday (19/11/2015). Eka is still a non-permanent teacher.

Senior and junior teachers

Third, the senior and junior teachers’ paradox is rooted in the government’s fosterage so far. For example, the problem of teachers’ competence testing currently conducted is that it’s highly unbalanced. The government only evaluates their professional and pedagogic aspects, while the other elements are considered “quantitatively untestable”.

Four areas of teachers’ competence are stipulated in Law No.14/2005, which are pedagogic, professional, personality and social aspects. The unbalanced competence testing mechanism contributes to the formation of teachers’ mindset that only attaches importance to the subject material taught and the learning model applied.

In the meantime, teachers’ attitude, personality and environment “that cannot be formulated into multiple-choice questions” are thus ignored. The government doesn’t design tests on personality and social aspects. Actually, they can serve as the framework to reduce the knowledge discrepancy between a junior teacher and a senior one.

Also read: Yacinto Dacrus,Teacher’s Devotion in Border Zone

Accordingly, as a recommendation, it may not be too late yet for the government to change its course in fostering teachers. It’s not a matter of employees’ status but rather their welfare. It’s not mere subject material mastery, but rather also the need to shift teachers’ principles toward nurturing mutual love, help and harmony beyond professional and pedagogic spheres.

In brief, it’s necessary to develop the fostering of social and personality aspects. The government’s policy isn’t merely to “provide food allowances” bur it should have an implication for the promotion of the quality and spirit of educators and education. For instance, the aspect of perseverance demonstrated by contract teachers can also be taken into account.

Kompas

Saifur Rohman

The many years of contract teachers’ devotion, should be regarded as their competence. The fact that contract teachers have lived in substandard conditions in several regions gives an idea that they have long been suffering. Is there any tougher competence test than enduring a hard existence for so many years as teachers?

Saifur Rohman, Lecturer, Jakarta State University.