The Real Burden Of The State Is Corruptors, Not Teachers

JAKARTA Although the video showing the words of the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani who called teacher a burden on the state has been confirmed as a hoax, in fact the government does consider teachers a burden.

Not long ago the public was shocked by the circulation of the video statement by Sri Mulyani. In the video that went viral on social media, the Minister of Finance called the teacher a burden on the state. However, the Ministry of Finance and Sri Mulyani themselves denied ever making this sentence.

After being traced, the Head of the Communication and Information Service Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, Deni Surjantoro, explained that the video was the result of adeepfake (AI) taken from the Minister of Finance's speech at the Indonesian Science, Technology and Industry Convention Forum at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on August 7.

From the summary of the search, it can be concluded that the recording featuring Sri Mulyani stated that "guru is a burden on the state", is the result of fabrication and contains false news.

However, neither Sri Mulyani nor the Ministry of Finance denied that he said, "Many on social media I always say, oh, being a lecturer or being a teacher is not appreciated because the salary is not large. This is also one of the challenges for state finances. Does everything have to be state finances or should there be participation from the community?"

Although the video showing Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani calling teachers a burden on the state has been confirmed to be a hoax, the minister still highlighted the salaries and teacher allowances as a challenge for state finances. He also even questioned "Do all of them have to be state finances or should there be participation from the community?"

Through this statement, the public concluded that the government did consider teachers a burden. This statement is also supported by government policies so far.

The National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) Ubaid Matraji said that the minister's question reflects the existence of three main problems that show that the state, through its budget policy, does view teachers as a burden.

"Sri Mulyani's statement that questioned whether the teacher's salary should be fully borne by the state shows a lack of understanding of constitutional obligations," Ubaid said in a statement received by VOI.

Ubaid emphasized that the salaries and allowances of teachers and lecturers are mandated by the 1945 Constitution, which requires the government to allocate a 20 percent education budget from the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN), which includes posts for the salaries of educators.

"The question of community participation in financing is tantamount to giving up state responsibility," said Ubaid.

If you refer to the 1945 Constitution, the fulfillment of teacher rights is a must, not an option, and should not be borne by the community.

In the end, if the country is burdened, the problem is not the existence of teachers, but the allocation of the education budget that is not right on target and the rampant corruption.

Ubaid gave an example, in the 2026 RAPBN, the state seems to prioritize non-education programs such as controversial free food programs (MBG), rather than allocating funds for improving teacher quality and welfare.

This condition has fatal consequences, such as many teachers, including madrasas teachers, having to wait in line for more than 50 years to get certification and professional allowances.

"This is an ironic fact amid the government's claims about its attention to education," said Ubaid.

Ubaid emphasized that the real burden for the state is not teachers who fight at the forefront of education, but officials who do not have integrity and corrupt people's money.

They already get luxury facilities, but still commit corruption. If his behavior is like this, he still gets a salary to death, aka a pension," said Ubaid.

"The educational budget that should be allocated to improve the welfare of teachers and the quality of teaching, has actually run out due to corrupt practices, making it difficult for the state to fulfill its constitutional obligations," he added.

Reflecting on this, JPPI urges the government to change the perspective that teachers consider a burden on the state, even like commodities that can be cheap. In fact, said Ubaid, the teacher's salary is seen as a must-be guaranteed and fulfilled right by the government, which is a unity in constitutional obligations that must be fulfilled.

"It's time for the government to stop looking for scapegoats and focus on improving the fair and transparent budget system," he said.

"Teachers are not the burden of the state, but the heart of the nation's investment and the builder of civilization, which deserves respect and prosperity, not only financially but also dignity," concluded Ubaid.