Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has asked the government to protect the rights and jobs of early childhood education (PAUD) teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the government should intervene to protect the rights and jobs of PAUD teachers. They are an extension of early childhood care that replaces the role of mothers at home. Their role is not small,” he said in a statement received here on Friday.

Limitations of the online teaching model for PAUD have caused PAUD teachers to become one of the most vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 period, he noted.

One of the obstacles faced by PAUD teachers is the difficulty of adapting early childhood learning that is very psychomotor in nature to online learning, Mattalitti said.

“This causes PAUD schools to suspend and even discharge their teachers. Especially in PAUD schools that are managed by the community and the private sector,” he added.

Moreover, he said, the wages earned by PAUD teachers are far from the minimum wage standard. In fact, many of them become PAUD teachers voluntarily without any clear agreement on wages, he added.

“Since many PAUD cannot operate amid the pandemic, PAUD teachers have become one of the most vulnerable groups at risk of losing their jobs,” he said.

Therefore, he urged the Indonesian government to take note of the issue and carry out social interventions to protect the rights and jobs of PAUD teachers.

The DPD speaker said PAUD teachers can be assured job security by making them PPPKs (contract-based government employees) or they can be provided social assistance.

“Because this group (PAUD teachers) has not received attention since cash transfer (BLT) or other social assistance was launched,” he added.

Source: Antara News