Public Awareness and Randomisation School Activity Trials for Improving Teachers’ Performance and Accountability (KIAT Guru) in Kaimana

27 October 2014

Drs. Matias Mairuma, Regent of Kaimana, opened the event “Public Awareness and Randomisation School Activity Trials for Improving Teachers’ Performance and Accountability (KIAT Guru)” at Kaimana Beach Hotel (20/10). It was the result of cooperation between the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) and Kaimana district, which had previously been set out in a Cooperation Agreement and reinforced in the issuance of a decree by the Regent of Kaimana on Trials to Improve the Accountability of Education Services.

Public awareness and randomisation activities at KIAT Guru schools in Kaimana district were attended by the Regent of Kaimana, Department of Education, Head of the Regional Planning Agency, Head of DPPKAD, representatives of the heads of the DPRD, PGRI Kaimana, Kaimana district and Arguni Atas district, as well as the village head and the Principal of the ten elementary school that participated in the trial. The activity was also attended by representatives from Australian AID, the Australian Indonesia Partnership for Decentralisation (AIPD) programme and the KIAT Guru team - TNP2K.

In his speech, Mairuma thanked TNP2K and Australian Aid for supporting the children of Kaimana by providing its teachers with valuable lessons. He also expressed concerns over the poor quality of human resources as well as the attendance of teachers in Kaimana, issues at the heart of KIAT Guru activities. To help boost the motivation levels of teachers, the Kaimana regional government has been providing extra allowances to teachers since 2010. These range between Rp 1 million and Rp 2.5 million per month, depending on challenges linked to geography.

KIAT Guru will conduct trials that actively involve communities in an effort to improve local educational services and link the payments of allowanes on attendance and the quality of educational services.

"KIAT Guru monitors government services, especially in education, to villages. Teachers are expected to be ready to execute their duties. Those who work receive a salary; those that do not work do not receive a salary. If these trials goes well, we will echo these activities for the paramedics in the villages, "said Mairuma.

TNP2K staff were accompanied by Kaimana district’s Office of Education to Wanggita and Rafa villages in the Arguni Atas District/Sub-District. In addition to public awareness activities at the village level, further understanding was given of the challenges facing educational services in remote areas. Similar activities will be conducted in Keerom, Papua and Ketapang, West Kalimantan, both of which support trial KIAT Guru trial activities.