Press Release di Unesco KAMG

Komunitas Air Mata Guru

(Teachers’ Tears Community)

Tuesday, May 29, 2007- DPR-RI, Jakarta

Komunitas Air Mata Guru (KAMG) have come to meet the Komisi X of DPR-RI together with Education Forum, requesting earnestly DPR-RI to push the government to immediately redesign and reconstruct the policy of National Examination Test (NET, known in Indonesia as UN)) to save the character and the future of the sons of our country. We represent the voice of teachers, who hold on to the voice of conscience and prioritize the quality of education, requesting DPR RI to voice that government will wisely and with positive attitude taking actions and steps on this matter.

Our reasons for proposing these requests are as follow:

1. The policy of NET have caused the social and administrative pressures that have trapped the Bupati, District Education Department, and Schools Principals to save their face from the real situation of their education and to mark up their result in NET. As the result, cheat and lie have happened systematically and every where in Indonesia.
2. The rights of children to enjoy education that mold the character and mind of the nation as stated in the UUD-45 have been ignored irresponsibly by this policy. Children are only concentrating on three subjects (Tested in NET), the fun of learning is lost and the pressure of passing the test cause children to participate in NET cheat
3. Teachers have been trapped in the middle of the storm and in one sense become the victim of the policy that they could not stand the test of integrity and honesty. This shows that the policy of NET does not help in improving the quality of the teachers and education at large.
4. the policy have robbed the rights of teachers to participate in the process of quality, continuous education and having permanent results as have been granted in the Regulation of Teachers and Lecturer.
5. The decree of Central Jakarta Court which won the accusation of students, parents, and Education Forum has shown that the NET policy contradicted with legislation of National Education System that has been legislated by DPR. Thus we see that Government has not serious in implementing the will of the people of this nation.

Our Community has produced the 2^nd edition of the Report on National Examination Test Cheating which also includes the after math of the school Board, Principals intimidations and pressure from Education Department of our district to the teachers who reported the systematic cheating of NET. Many teachers are pressurized and intimidated to resign, and we have found a case where a teacher was rejected from a job interview only because she acknowledged a commitment for honesty and solidarity with our community. All these social and educational chaos are the impact of the policy of NET which was not well planed and well thought.

We, together with Education Forum, and also, we believe, DPR-RI earnestly ask the SBY Administration to AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO REFORM THE POLICY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AND TO BE WISE IN FOLLOWING UP THE DECREE OF ACCUSATION COURT OF CENTRAL JAKARTA. Many ways could be used to achieve the goal of NET. Please don’t stand on status quo. Our works are so immense. To achieve the goal of Education of UUD-45, to mold the mind and character of the sons of our nation, WE PLEAD THE GOVERNMENT TO SET AN EXAMPLE TO US teachers and students what it means to be MEN OF CHARACTER AND INTELLIGENCE.

Here we stand, and we ask that our voice will be voiced by our friends the mass media to the people of our country, the MPR and the government on this country to whom the people bestow their authority.