VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Deputy II Chief of Presidential Staff Abetnego Tarigan hopes that the commemoration of the 65th National Education Day (Hardiknas), which falls on May 2 2024, will provide momentum in accelerating teacher certification.

According to Abetnego, teacher certification is an effort to meet the guaranteed needs for teachers who play a strategic role in creating an inclusive and safe learning ecosystem.   

"Accelerating teacher certification is a necessity so that teachers earn income above minimum living requirements and social welfare guarantees," said Abetnego in a statement received in Jakarta, Thursday.

Abetnego explained that currently, of the 3 million teachers in Indonesia, only 1.34 million teachers have been certified or around 44.9 percent.

If teachers' income is obtained from salaries and professional allowances based on certification, this means that there are still more than one million teachers who are not prosperous.

Apart from that, many teachers still have to find additional income to meet their living needs, and quite a few are even caught in illegal online loans (pinjol).  

"There should be no more stories of teachers having to work as farm laborers or goods couriers after school hours are over, or even stories of teachers being caught in debt," he said.

Abetnego said that the Presidential Staff Office supports the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemdikbudristek) which is preparing a new scheme to accelerate teacher certification.

With this new scheme, there are several adjustments for teachers and prospective teachers who take Teacher Professional Education (PPG), especially in the recruitment, learning and selection processes.

In the recruitment process, continued Abetnego, the government updated in-service teacher data (daljab) which contained teachers' education and teaching experience more accurately.

Meanwhile, in learning, there will be adjustments related to "hybrid" or mixed implementation, travel time and credit units for teachers with certain conditions.

"In the admission selection there are also adjustments that make it easier for daljab (in-service) teachers to take competency tests conducted by the Ministry of Education and Culture," added Abetnego.

He believes that the changes to the PPG scheme, which are currently being discussed in the Minister of Education and Culture's Draft Regulation, will be a leap in breaking down the deadlock in the implementation of certification as mandated by Law (UU) No. 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers.

With this new scheme, KSP hopes that the target of at least 800,000 certified teachers can be achieved this year as an effort to improve quality education.

Source: Antaranews

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto (right), speaks to British Minister of Trade, Greg Hands, in London, the United Kingdom, on April 29, 2024. (ANTARA/HO-Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs/rst) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, and the British Minister of Trade, Greg Hands, have discussed strengthening economic and trade cooperation in London.

"The close relationship between the two countries is marked by the agreement between the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO)," Hartarto said in a statement issued by his office on Tuesday.

He expressed hope that JETCO will soon produce concrete results, including in the energy and digital economy sectors.

During the meeting, Hands highlighted his country's expertise in clean energy and proposed a clean energy collaboration tailored to an archipelagic country like Indonesia.

The implementation of clean energy will later be linked to the management of subsidy policies.

Moreover, Hands said he hopes that trade in dairy products and their derivatives within the JETCO framework will run smoothly despite obstacles in the registration process.

In response, Hartarto underscored Indonesia's deregulation efforts, aimed at streamlining the registration process for milk products and their derivatives.

This initiative supports the growing demand for such products, particularly under the next government program that provides free milk to students.

During the meeting, Hartarto also addressed the impact of British due diligence regulations on Indonesian palm oil products. He expressed hope for fair regulatory treatment.

"Currently, Indonesia is voicing its disagreement with the implementation of European Union policies on sustainable products. Indonesia and Malaysia are working on managing the rules regarding sustainable products," he said.

The two ministers also discussed the idea of free trade cooperation, Indonesia's accession as a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and regional cooperation.

Hartarto said that Indonesia is open to free trade with the United Kingdom//Antara-VOI

Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin (right) during a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs, Tawfiq Fawzan Muhammed Alrabiah, in Jakarta on Tuesday (April 30, 2024). (ANTARA/Benardy Ferdiansyah/rst) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs, Tawfiq Fawzan Muhammed Alrabiah, on Tuesday to discuss the implementation of the 1445 Hijriah/2024 Hajj and additional Hajj quota for Indonesia.

"During the meeting, Indonesia expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for providing an additional quota amounting to 20 thousand for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims," special staff to the vice president for communications and information, Masduki Baidlowi, informed.

According to him, Vice President Amin expressed the hope that the Saudi Arabian government would continue to provide additional Hajj quota to Indonesia every year.

"Our waiting time for Hajj is too long. With a continuous additional quota with the current number, it is expected to ease the burden for the Indonesian government in the next five to ten years," Baidlowi added.

He informed that in certain areas such as South Sulawesi or East Java, the waiting time for the Hajj pilgrimage can reach more than 20 years.

He said that the Vice President often receives complaints about it when he visits the regions.

"Every time the Vice President visits various regions, the question is always whether we can go on Hajj or whether we will die before the time for the Hajj comes," Baidlowi added.

During the meeting, the two leaders also discussed the overall implementation of the Hajj, including efforts to improve the quality of management and implementation of Hajj in the field.

"The Vice President also conveyed his hopes for the cooperation between the two countries. He wanted the two parties to continue the management of Hajj with better and more efficient management, including financing for government and Indonesian Hajj pilgrims as well," Baidlowi said.

He explained that this is important because the Saudi Arabian government is intensively trying to improve the tourism sector, including Hajj and Umrah religious tourism, to reduce its economic dependence on the oil and natural gas sector//Antara-VOI