Sentani, Jubi – Yulius Kekri, the chief of Muaif Village, has made a formal request to the local Education Office to suspend the salaries of nine teachers with civil servant status who are employed at Muaif State Elementary School in Demta District, Jayapura Regency. These teachers have not fulfilled their responsibilities, prompting the request from the village chief.
During a visit by Commission C of the Jayapura People’s Council to Muaif State Elementary School on Monday, August 21, 2023, the village chief expressed his concern about the situation. “It has been over a year since we last saw these teachers present for duty here,” he said.
He further mentioned that out of the total honorary teachers at Muaif State Elementary School, only two have been fulfilling their roles and responsibilities as educators.
Although the Jayapura Regency Education Office previously assessed the condition of the school, this time, Commission C of the Council conducted a firsthand visit to the schools. During this visit, they collected input from the community, educators, and local leaders.
The village head pointed out that there are even civil servant teachers who are native to Muaif Village but have never shown up for duty at the school, despite being provided with accommodations.
The Muaif Village community hopes that these visits will bring about positive changes, particularly in terms of educational facilities, to enhance the quality of education for children in the area.
Yuliana Padwa, an honorary teacher at Muaif State Elementary School,, stated that she is unaware of the reasons behind the inactivity of the teachers who have not been attending school for a year.
Meanwhile, Hariyanto Piet Soyan, the chairman of Commission C of the Jayapura People’s Council, explained that the purpose of the visit was to assess the state of the teaching and learning process in Muaif Village. There have been reports from residents about the school’s condition and the lack of attendance from certain teachers.
“We have directed the relevant agency to incorporate this issue into the revised 2023 budget program. The community has provided numerous inputs and suggestions regarding school conditions, including teachers, students, facilities, and infrastructure,” said Soyan.
He added that the community’s feedback will be presented as recommendations from the Council to the Education Office during an upcoming hearing.
“The request to suspend salaries is a reflection of the community’s dissatisfaction, and this is understandable given that these teachers have not fulfilled their duties for a year. We will also include this in our recommendations to the relevant agency,” Soyan concluded. (*)
