Government is Considered to Want to Release Responsibility for Honorer Teachers

JAKARTA - The National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), Ubaid Matraji, assessed that the Circular Letter (SE) of the Ministry of Education and Culture No. 7 of 2026 which regulates the assignment of non-ASN teachers in state schools seems to be a subtle way for the government to release responsibility for honor teachers through the assignment deadline until December 2026.

The reason is that the policy creates uncertainty for the fate of millions of non-ASN teachers who have served in state and private schools.

"Instead of providing solutions for recruitment and welfare, the government is actually presenting the threat of termination of duty without clear future certainty," Ubaid said in his statement, Sunday, May 17.

He saw a contrasting treatment from the government towards honorarium teachers compared to employees of the Nutrition Program Service Unit (SPPG) in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.

Because, SPPG employees who have the status of non-ASN actually get better welfare from the beginning of their work, while honor teachers have to serve for years with minimal income and uncertain work status.

Ubaid called this condition an irony in national education policy. He assessed that the government was more willing to allocate large budgets for MBG support programs than to ensure the welfare of teachers who have always been the spearhead of education in the classroom. "Honor teachers faithfully serve until old age, but what they receive is the threat of termination of duty," he added.

According to him, the inequality is also seen from the daily working conditions. With an income that is considered decent, SPPG employees can work focused without being burdened by economic issues.

On the other hand, many honorary teachers have to find additional jobs to meet their living needs because the salaries they receive are far from a decent standard of living.

As a result, the quality of education is also affected. Non-ASN teachers often have to divide their time between teaching and other jobs to survive. In fact, this situation should not happen in the midst of the large national education budget which continues to increase every year.

Therefore, the government is urged to immediately revise the Minister of Education and Culture Decree Number 7 of 2026 and issue a new policy that guarantees certainty of the status and welfare of non-ASN teachers, both in state and private schools.

In addition, the government is asked to accelerate the redistribution and appointment of non-ASN teachers to ASN or PPPK based on real needs in the field.

"JPPI encourages the government to set a national minimum wage standard for teachers so that there are no more honor teachers who receive an income below the minimum living standard. Don't let the education budget be spent to make SPPG employees happy, while the teachers who are most entitled to the education budget are left to die slowly because of uncertainty about their fate," said Ubaid.