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Fate of nonformal teachers in jeopardy, experts say
Nonformal teachers continue to be overlooked despite the nation's demand for more qualified teaching staff, education experts bemoan.
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A teacher at a state elementary school in Binjai, North Sumatra talks to her students during weekly in-class instruction. (Courtesy of/Faisal)
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mid the government’s push to recruit more civil servant teachers in combating the country’s lack of educational personnel, nonformal teachers, many of whom have served for years with minimum pay, are continuing the fight to be recognized as civil servants (PNS).
Such is the case for 50-year-old Sri Hariyati. Her 24 years of experience has yet to give her civil servant status, as she continues to be a nonformal teacher for her first and only school, Kademangan 01 state junior high school in Blitar regency, East Java.
After joining the school in 1997, Sri had initially hoped that one or two years of diligent service would grant her wish to become a civil servant teacher.
“Back then, to become a PNS was not difficult. But in reality, it was far from what I had hoped. Until today, it’s been full of struggle [to become a PNS teacher],” Sri told the The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Despite falling short of meeting the bar numerous times in the annual candidate civil servants (CPNS) recruitment, Sri refuses to give up hope.
Since the introduction of the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry’s data center Dapodik in 2013, Sri had to go back and forth between the regional administration’s office and the ministry to obtain her teaching credentials, which she finally received in 2018 after 19 years of service.
Despite obtaining her certification, the work of a nonformal teacher has not gotten any lighter. Since the pandemic forced schools to close, Sri has struggled to make ends meet, as she would usually sell trinkets at school to cover for her inadequate wages.
