This Teacher Asks For Retirement Age To Be Extended To 65 Years In Session At The Constitutional Court

JAKARTA - A teacher certified by educators, Sri Hartono, tested the constitutionality of Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers by requesting that the teacher's retirement age limit be extended from 60 years to 65 years.

Hartono conveyed that the lower age limit for teachers than lecturers was against the meritocracy principle in the policy of the state civil apparatus (ASN).

"The provisions that distinguish the retirement age between teachers and lecturers do not reflect the meritocracy principle," Hartono said in the preliminary examination of Case Number 99/PUU-XXIII/2025 which he followed online as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 25.

This difference, he added, not only creates injustice, but also triggers social tension between the teaching profession and lecturers. The 60-year-old teacher's retirement age limit is considered to have a direct and real impact on him, both administratively and psychologically.

In addition, he also highlighted the fact that Indonesia is facing a shortage of educators.

He considered that the pension of experienced teachers at the age of 60 was contrary to the government's efforts to strengthen the quality of human resources in the education sector.

On this consideration, Hartono asked the Constitutional Court to state that the article governing the retirement age of teachers in the Teacher Law and Lecturers is against the constitution and has no binding law as long as it is not interpreted that the age of teacher retirement is equal to the retirement age of a lecturer, which is 65 years old.

In this case, Hartono claimed to have served as a certified teacher for educators for decades. He lives in Demak, Central Java, and teaches at the high school level.

During the advisory session, Constitutional Justice Enny Nurbaningsih highlighted the inconsistent mention of the article in Hartono's petition. In the petitum section, Hartono questioned Article 40 paragraph (1), but the provisions for the teacher's retirement age limit are regulated in Article 30 paragraph (4).

"It can run away later on the application. So Mr. Hartono must be consistent first, which one is requested for a test which according to Mr. Hartono is considered to have a constitutionality problem," said Enny as seen from the minutes of the trial document.

As the procedural law, the Court gave Hartono 14 days to complete his petition. The preliminary hearing was held at the Constitutional Court Building, Jakarta, Tuesday (24/6), so that the revision of the application was received by the Constitutional Court no later than Monday (7/7).