“I’m not a teacher, but an awakener”: Robert Frost.

Becoming a teacher is a calling. It is not just a job, some say. It is a vocation.

Teachers dedicate their lives to making a difference for their pupils. Good teachers can inspire students by giving them strong self belief and motivation that, someday, can enable them to fly and reach their dreams. As Frost said, teachers awaken young minds in the classroom.

The recent case of the death of a teacher, Ahmad Budi Cahyono, also known as Guru Budi, in East Java after a student allegedly hit him led to a public outcry that condemned the student and raised calls for the protection of teachers who are just doing their job, a profession that does not normally put one’s life at risk like policing or serving in the military.

The United Kingdom’s Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) union surveyed its trainee and newly qualified teachers and found that of those who have considered resigning, 76 percent cited heavy workloads.

More than 54 percent said they did not think they would be teaching in 10 years’ time and almost a quarter imagined they would move on in half that time.

The survey showed 25 percent said the difficult behavior of students was also a factor in their consideration to leave teaching. This is more relevant these days with the drive for character strengthening education.

These burdens can be overcome if teachers get appropriate support. In the ATL survey, when asked what would have a positive impact on teaching, 83 percent said they wanted more time to plan and prepare lessons and 42 percent wanted mentoring or coaching from experienced
colleagues.

In the case of Guru Budi, he was a part-time teacher at a public high school in Madura, East Java. In the teaching profession, part-time teaching is the lowest position one can have.

The typical experience of a part-time teacher is that they are offered a job because of urgent demand from a school after a full-time teacher or two have been assigned to another job.

Or worse, the existing teacher did not perform as expected by the school principal, but the school cannot fire the teacher.

To fill the gap, a part-time teacher is hired. There is usually little selection criteria nor adequate training, with the part-timer instantly put to work.

According to a study by the World Bank in 2015, schools use a significant proportion of their discretionary funds to hire contract teachers or part-timers.

However, this has not been associated with improvements in the learning experience, partly because student-teacher ratios and class sizes are already relatively low.

Indeed, our student teacher ratio is around 18 to 20 students per teacher. This is the story of around 700,000 part-time teachers in Indonesia, a big chunk of the 3 million strong teaching force.

The employment status of our teachers is divided into three groups: 49.2 percent are civil service employees, 27 percent are full-time private employees, and 23.8 percent are part-timers. Only the first two groups can be certified, but even within these groups, around 270,000 and 600,000 respectively have not yet been certified.

The latter group are left in limbo, lacking a legitimate career path with no professional development schemes available. They are just a band-aid for our chronic problems in education.

Law No. 14/2005 states that a professional teacher must be both certified and hold a bachelor degree. So, our country is heading toward disaster if we let the 1.6 million uncertified teachers flout the law. These teachers are not supposed to be in the classroom.

The law has a function, such as ensuring contract teachers have the skills to perform well. Indeed, connecting job performance and incentives is never an easy task in Indonesia.

The poor outcome of the teacher certification program that has been effective since 2007 has demonstrated our failed attempt to improve learning.

Several studies, such as by the World Bank, ACDP Indonesia, and Paramadina Public Policy Institute showed that the law has had no significant impact on teachers’ professional competencies.

A study on teacher absenteeism by ACDP Indonesia in 2014 shows that teachers absenteeism in schools is decreasing, yet their absenteeism in the classroom is increasing. It means that teachers go to schools but not to classrooms.

This may seem disheartening, but some positive statistics from the ATL survey show that the most popular reason, at 75 percent, for entering the teaching profession is one’s desire to make a difference, and 80 percent said they teach because they enjoy working with children.

Indeed, the London School of Economics highlights five reasons as to why teaching is a great career: (1) It’s an opportunity to work with young people and make a difference in their lives. (2) The job is varied, with different experiences every day. (3) Teaching is fun, and there are plenty of opportunities to be creative in conveying information to young people. (4) There’s the chance to inspire students in the way you were inspired. (5) You can share your passion for your subject.

Do you love the subject you’re studying? Teaching could be a great way to pass on your knowledge and passion. All of the reasons have nothing to do with money.

Interestingly, a study by the World Bank in 2017 on the performance-based school grant policy in Jakarta said a non-monetary program could provide an alternative and less costly incentive to improve performance.

Teachers need monetary incentives to ensure a decent standard of living, yet teachers also need recognition for their noble profession.

We need to examine the effectiveness of alternative models of recognition for all teaching professions. As John Dewey hints, we should treat teachers like our prophets. In the last line of “My Pedagogic Creed”, Dewey wrote: “I believe that in this way the teacher is the prophet of the true God and the usherer in of the true kingdom of God.”

The treatment of our teachers is far from this creed. Nevertheless, let’s think about what we can do to demonstrate our appreciation of our teachers. Call them. Visit them.

And tell them how much they have contributed to your success today. Thank them for having awakened our minds. Make them happy in return.
______________________

The writer is a lecturer at Paramadina University, Jakarta.

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