Maretha Uli, Jakarta – When President Prabowo Subianto addressed lawmakers at the House of Representatives plenary session on Wednesday, part of the speech infuriated contract teacher Azzahra, 23.
At the speech, the President said he would increase teachers' salaries by 300 percent. But he later corrected himself seconds later by saying that the raise was meant for judges instead.
"He actually knows teachers are paid poorly, but he chose to raise judges' salaries instead," Azzahra told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. "Hearing the President make that slip of the tongue honestly hurt. It felt like we were being mocked and unappreciated."
She receives Rp 500,000 (US$28.30) every month for teaching math at a private junior high school in Tangerang, Banten. Her paycheck, which is far below the city's minimum wage of Rp 5.3 million, can only sustain her for a few days, forcing her consider giving up being an educator.
The slipup has left Azzahra believing that the state pays little attention to educators, complaining that teacher-related issues are "never treated as a main priority".
Azzahra is far from the only teacher in Indonesia to harbor such a sentiment, as educators in the country, especially those employed under nonpermanent schemes, continue to face welfare issues arising from inadequate paychecks.
Azzahra may not even be among the worst cases, according to Satriwan Salim of the Indonesian Teachers Association (P2G), many nonpermanent teachers in public schools are paid even less than their counterparts in private schools.
He argues that the government has failed to fulfill the 2005 Teachers and Lecturers Law, which guarantees teachers the right to income above the minimum living standard.
"The welfare of teachers, especially for non-civil servants," Satriwan said, "is far from humane."
The issue has been exacerbated by regional administrations continuing to recruit contract teachers despite the 2023 Civil Servant Law prohibiting such recruitment starting 2024.
At the same time, the government's program to upgrade existing nonpermanent teachers as part-time government contract employees (PPPK) has also drawn criticism for failing to address persistently low salaries. A nonformal teacher can be appointed as a PPPK before being eventually recruited as a permanent civil servant.
The government has repeatedly promised to improve teachers' welfare, with the latest pledge coming from the President himself during his unprecedented address at the House outlining his administration's macroeconomic framework and fiscal policy direction.
"We want to ensure the welfare of our teachers," Prabowo said in his speech on Wednesday. "Improving teachers' living conditions must become our priority."
A similar commitment was also announced by Prabowo during the commemoration of National Teachers' Day last November. The President also included a pledge to improve teachers' welfare in his Asta Cita (eight missions) national development vision.
Yet, P2G's Satriwan remains pessimistic, saying resolving the issue of teachers' welfare would depend on Prabowo's political goodwill.
"We are worried that such promises won't be fulfilled, with the education budget not being prioritized for education and teachers," said Satriwan.
A teacher counts the number of meal packages disbursed under the free nutritious meal program before being distributed to students at Islamic elementary and junior high schools in Aceh Barat regency, Aceh, on May 20, 2025. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
The education sector has an allocation of Rp 769 trillion, 20 percent, of the Rp 3.8 quadrillion projected spending in this year's state budget, as mandated by the 1945 Constitution. However, around Rp 223 trillion of this is allocated to fund Prabowo's flagship free nutritious meal program.
Such a move had been challenged at the Constitutional Court, with several plaintiffs filing a judicial review petition against the 2026 State Budget Law arguing that the rollout diverts funding from constitutionally mandated education spending.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has introduced several programs to improve teachers' welfare, including allowance disbursement, education for teachers and competency improvement.
But concerns linger, especially after the issuance of a circular by the ministry in early May about the assignment of non-civil servant teachers for this year, which eliminated the term "nonformal" teacher. It raised concerns among contract teachers, including Azzahra, that they would not be able to continue teaching.
The ministry later clarified that the circular did not mean to dismiss nonformal teachers.
Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti did not respond to the Post's request for comment on Friday.
On Wednesday, the school minister said he appreciated Prabowo's commitment to improving teachers' welfare, while asserting his office's readiness to implement related policies the President sought to adopt, as reported by Antara state news agency.
Source: https://asianews.network/indonesian-teachers-welfare-remains-poor-despite-governments-promises