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View all search resultsTeachers push for better pay in education bill
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Students embrace their teacher’s hands during a Teacher's Day celebration at an elementary school in Semarang, Central Java, on Nov. 25, 2025. The event, held under the theme “Great Teachers, Strong Indonesia” and attended by hundreds of students, the event aimed to deepen their understanding of teaching and inspire them to follow in their teachers’ footsteps. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
T
eachers have urged the House of Representatives to revise the national education law to strengthen teacher governance, including by guaranteeing minimum salaries and better welfare regardless of employment status.
In a hearing last week, House Commission X overseeing education gathered input from teachers associations and education observers on provisions for teacher governance in a proposed overhaul of the country’s education laws.
The Indonesian Teachers Association (P2G) said the revision should prioritize strengthening teachers’ competencies, arguing that improving student performance requires greater investment in educators. It also called for better recruitment systems and a more even distribution of teachers nationwide.
The association proposed establishing a national teachers management agency to provide greater certainty and coordination in teacher governance, which is currently fragmented across multiple ministries overseeing general education, religious affairs and other programs.
The fragmentation has become more pronounced under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, which has introduced new school programs under different ministries. The Garuda Schools, which cater to high-achieving students, fall under the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry, while the Sekolah Rakyat (community schools) program for children from low-income families operates under the Social Affairs Ministry.
Private-school teachers employed on a nonpermanent basis also have limited access to government recruitment programs for civil servants and government contract employees (PPPK), restricting their opportunities to secure standardized, state-funded salaries.
Read also: Teachers' welfare remains poor despite govt's promises
