Myesha Fatina Rachman – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted the issue of low teachers' and lecturers' salaries that has been widely discussed on social media. She mentioned that this problem poses a serious challenge to the state finances amidst the high allocation of the education budget.
"A lot of discussion on social media, I always say that being a lecturer or a teacher is not appreciated because the salary is not substantial. This is also one of the challenges for state finances," said Sri Mulyani at the Convention on Science, Technology, and Industry Indonesia at the Bandung Institute of Technology, West Java, on Thursday, August 7, 2025.
Sri questioned whether the entire burden of the salary increase should be borne by the state or involve the participation of the community. However, she did not elaborate in detail on the form of participation intended.
In 2025, the education budget reached Rp 724.3 trillion, divided into three clusters. Teachers' and lecturers' salaries are in the second cluster, while the first cluster is used for direct benefits to students and students, and the third cluster for the development of educational infrastructure.
The funds for teachers and lecturers cover salaries up to performance allowances. Professional teacher allowances for non-civil servant (PNS) teachers are given to 477,700 teachers, while certification is given to 666,900 teachers.
In addition, the education budget is used for the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) for 20.4 million students, the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) for 1.1 million students, School Operational Assistance (BOS) for 9.1 million students, State University Operational Assistance (BOPTN) for nearly 200 state campuses, as well as LPDP scholarships and learning digitalization programs.
Planned increase in teachers' salaries in the Prabowo era
In the first month of his tenure, President Prabowo Subianto announced the plan to increase teachers' salaries in 2025. During the National Teacher's Day Commemoration at the Velodrome, Rawamangun, Jakarta, on November 28, 2024, he emphasized that education is his government's top priority.
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti explained that the salary increase applies to all certified civil servant and non-civil servant teachers. Civil servant teachers will receive an additional amount equivalent to one month's basic salary, while certified non-civil servant teachers will receive an additional Rp 2 million. However, this policy only applies to teachers under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, not the Ministry of Religion.
The total teacher welfare budget in 2025 reached Rp 81.6 trillion, an increase from the previous year. This budget includes 1.93 million educator-certified teachers, with plans for additional direct cash assistance (BLT) for non-civil servant teachers who are not yet certified.
Although welcomed positively, the announcement of the teacher salary increase initially caused misunderstandings in the community. Head of the Presidential Communication Office Hasan Nasbi clarified that non-civil servant teachers who were already certified before 2024 would receive an additional allowance of Rp 500 thousand, making a total of Rp 2 million per month. Meanwhile, teachers who were newly certified in 2024 would directly receive the full Rp 2 million allowance.
He then cautioned the government to continue committing to improving teacher welfare, including paying attention to the nominal salary increase. According to Hasan, President Prabowo has allocated a budget of Rp 16.7 trillion for the welfare of civil servant and non-civil servant teachers. Thus, the total budget for teacher welfare reaches Rp 81.6 trillion.
– Ilona Estherina, Ananda Ridho Sulistya, and Ni Kadek Trisna Cintya Dewi also contributed to the writing of this article.