Teachers complain of late allowance

SIGI: Teachers in Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, have demanded certification allowances that should have been due for a two-month-period in 2010.

They said they were confused who they should complain to because they had repeatedly asked the local education office but had never received a clear response.

“We don’t know where to voice our complaint. We hope the media can help. Only the media can express our concern,” a state junior high school teacher in Biromaru district, who requested anonymity, said on Monday.

“Some of our colleagues openly brought the matter to the education office but were transferred to other areas far from the regency capital,” he said.

He said he had not received the allowance for November and December 2010, which amounted to around Rp 5 million (about US$588) per person.

He added as many as 516 teachers were entitled to the certification allowance. Labaso, the head of Sigi Education Office, acknowledged on Monday the due payment, saying that it would be paid this year without mentioning a specific month.