REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PASURUAN -- Vice President candidate number 03 Mahfud MD reiterates his commitment to promote salaried teachers. Mahfud stressed that the program would apply to teachers of all faiths in Indonesia.
“We have a program and we definitely have money because the money exists, which is to give permanent honor to all paid teachers, including non-Islamic religious teachers, thanks,” Mahfud said in response to a question from a Hindu youth who attended Halaqoh Kebangsaan at Darut Tauhid Cangaan, Bangil Pasuruan, East Java on Friday (12/1/2024).
The young man named Singjik wanted to know if teachers from other faiths would get a salary. Moreover, Singghih said, during this time there has actually been an honor that he has known for salaried teachers. But, he felt, such honor did not extend to teachers from other religious communities such as Hindus.
“From a long time in Pasuruan there were paid teachers who were honored, but we are a minority that is not paid attention like that,” Singjik said.
In addition to affirming that it applies to all religions, Mahfud also revealed the background of one of the programs. Mahfud explained that he himself was a graduate of the ibtidaiyah madrasah and a graduate of the boarding house.
“Being taught a salary in langgar-langgar, I can be a minister, who teaches me that there is no one to take care of, madrasah teachers, mosque marbots, religious madrasahs, that nobody takes care of,” Mahfud said.
During this time there were quite a few religious teachers from communities of other faiths who did have quite strong funding. For example, for Catholic religious teachers are pretty neatly regulated by the Vatican.
Even so, Mahfud insists, the salaried teacher program will be enforced for all religions.
“If it is not yet and it is an official educational institution, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Khonghucu, Catholic, please submit, later we will measure the place where, how many students, what teachers are taught, how many hours in the week, we count, pay!” said Mahfud.