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Indonesian teacher union urges govt to clarify statement on teacher salary increase

Source
Tempo - December 2, 2024

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – The Indonesian Teacher Union Federation (FSGI) urges the government to clarify the statement regarding the salary increase for teachers that was previously disclosed by President Prabowo during a speech at the National Teacher's Day event at Velodrome, East Jakarta, on Thursday, November 28, 2024.

In his speech, Prabowo stated that civil servant teachers (ASN) would receive an additional income equivalent to one month's basic salary. Additionally, the professional allowance for non-ASN teachers will increase to Rp 2 million per month.

According to FSGI General Secretary Heru Purnomo, increasing teacher salaries as promised by Prabowo during the campaign is impossible. He stated that there is no funding source available. "Our State Budget is already in deficit due to providing free nutritious meals at Rp 10,000 per student per day," Heru said in his official statement on Monday, December 2, 2024.

Heru also pointed out a misconception caused by President Prabowo's speech. First, he mentioned that there would be no increase in welfare or salary for ASN teachers in 2025, as the government has been granting the Teacher Professional Allowance (TPG) equivalent to 1 month's basic salary to certified ASN teachers since 2008.

Secondly, Heru stated that there would be no increase in professional allowance for non-ASN teachers in 2025. He explained that in previous years, a professional allowance of Rp 1.5 million has been in effect for non-ASN teachers. Heru clarified that this allowance of Rp 1.5 million applies to teachers who have not yet received an Inpassing Decree. For teachers with an Inpassing Decree, their allowance increases to Rp 2 million or more based on equivalent ASN level.

Thirdly, Heru criticized the government's plan to provide welfare assistance to honorary teachers. "It should not be temporary assistance like Cash Aid, but should be determined according to the decree of Mr. Prabowo in the form of a General Minimum Teacher Wage similar to the Regional Minimum Wage for labor," said Heru. Therefore, FSGI is urging the government to clarify the teacher salary increase policy.

Tempo has attempted to contact the Director General of Teachers and Educational Personnel at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Nunuk Suryani. However, as of writing this news, there has been no response from her.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1947631/indonesian-teacher-union-urges-govt-to-clarify-statement-on-teacher-salary-increas

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