Palembang, South Sumatra (ANTARA) - Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti listed three measures taken by his ministry to improve the quality of teachers in Indonesia to ensure quality education and create excellent human resources.
"Various kinds of technological advancements cannot replace the position and role of teachers as agents of learning and enlightening the nation," he said at the launch of the National Teachers Month in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Friday.
His ministry's first measure to improve teacher quality has been helping teachers get a bachelor's degree by providing them with scholarships or education assistance programs.
Mu'ti explained that not all teachers in Indonesia hold a bachelor's degree.
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The second effort is improving teachers' competence. He noted that there are four teacher competencies that must be honed, namely academic competency, pedagogical competency, social competency, and moral competency.
Therefore, his ministry is seeking to improve Teacher Professional Education (PPG), including by adding counseling and value education materials for prospective teachers.
"This is part of our efforts to improve teachers' competency," he affirmed.
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The third measure has been improving teachers' welfare. Mu'ti said he believes that the quality of teachers is determined by their welfare. To this end, he underlined that his ministry is committed to improving the welfare of teachers.
The minister said that by paying attention to these three aspects, Indonesia will produce quality teachers who will eventually affect the quality of human resources.
"Great teachers will affect the quality of our learning and the quality of learning will affect the quality of our education and the quality of our education will determine the strength of our human resources," he added.
