Jakarta – Soldiers are to be deployed to serve as teachers in understaffed schools in the Mamberamo Hulu district of Indonesia's Irian Jaya province, the Indonesian Observer newspaper reported.

It quoted Major-General Johny Lumintang, chief of the Trikora military command which oversees Irian Jaya, as saying that he had also ordered the district military commander to co-operate with the police and local government authorities "to do something about the teacher shortage".

His order that some of the military personnel in Irian Jaya should serve as teachers in Mamberamo Hulu came after he received numerous complaints from residents about the lack of teachers.

The newspaper said he was optimistic that with the military and other civil servants acting as teachers, schools in the area would return to normal.

The lack of teachers was not the only problem for residents in the Mamberamo Hulu district.

They have also complained about the shortage of goods, which has caused prices to soar, in some cases by as much as 200 per cent.

Maj-Gen Lumintang, who was visiting the area on Wednesday, said the short runway at the nearest airport stopped it from accepting bigger transport aircraft.

The few aircraft deployed by state-run Merpati Nusantara Airlines on routes was another reason for the shortage of supplies, he added.

The newspaper reported that he pledged to report the case to the Transportation Ministry.