Palembang (ANTARA) - Minister of Education and Culture Abdul Mu'ti, has said that there is already a law regulating the protection of teachers while carrying out their duties, namely Law Number 14 of 2005 on Teachers and Lecturers.
"In terms of regulations and laws, there is an article within the Teacher and Lecturer Law that addresses the protection of teachers," he pointed out.
He made the remarks at the South Sumatra Provincial Teachers' Movement Center Building in Palembang on Friday while responding to the proposed Draft Law on Teacher Protection submitted by the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI).
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Mu'ti explained that the regulations on teacher protection in that law also have derivative regulations, namely the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 10 of 2017 on Protection for Educators and Education Personnel, issued by the previous minister, Muhadjir Effendy.
Therefore, he emphasized the importance of enforcing and implementing existing regulations so that the protection of educators can be guaranteed.
According to him, the recent instances of violence against teachers have been caused by several factors, including the lack of communication between schools and parents and the ability of teachers to handle students individually.
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"However, we also can't deny that there are indeed children who need special attention from their teachers and also there may be excessively high expectations from parents toward teachers. This can lead to cases that we don't want (to) happen," he added.
He informed that one short-term solution to address the issue is to enhance the capabilities of teachers related to counseling, instilling educational values in students, and strengthening cooperation between schools, communities, and parents.
"The solution we are implementing in the short term is to ensure these teachers have the skills related to counseling, instilling educational values, and strengthening cooperation between schools, teachers with communities, and parents," he stated.
