The Government Reveals The Reason Why Teachers And Lecturers' Salaries Are Still Small

Illustration of teachers (ANTARA)

BANDUNG - Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted the low salary of teachers and lecturers in Indonesia, even though the 2025 education budget reached IDR 724.3 trillion. He emphasized that improving the welfare of educators must be accompanied by a fair and performance-based incentive system.

"Many on social media say that being a lecturer or teacher is not appreciated because the salary is small," he said at the 2025 Convention on Science, Technology and Industry in Bandung, Thursday, August 7.

According to Sri Mulyani, the provision of allowances cannot only rely on equity. The quality and contribution of educators must be the main benchmark. "Once you become a lecturer, you then have the right of privilege for benefits, but your performance must still be measured," he said.

Sri Mulyani assessed that the problem of teacher salaries and lecturers is part of the challenge of building a strong education ecosystem. The education budget must have a real impact on improving the quality of human resources. "Do we reward the achievement or just share money for equal distribution?" he said.

In the 2025 State Budget, the government allocated 20% for education. This budget includes the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) program for 1.1 million students, the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) for 20.4 million students, School Operational Assistance (BOS) for 9.1 million students, to State Higher Education Operational Assistance (BOPTN) for 197 public campuses.

The funds are also used for non-civil servant teacher professional allowances for 477,700 teachers, certification of 666,900 teachers, construction and rehabilitation of 22,000 schools, and new free nutritious eating programs (MBG).

In addition, education endowment funds now reach IDR 154.1 trillion and are targeted to increase to IDR 175 trillion, for scholarships and research through LPDP which has sent thousands of students to the world's top universities, such as MIT, Harvard, and Oxford.

The government also provides research tax incentives for the industry, through a super tax deduction scheme of up to 300%. Sri Mulyani hopes that the synergy between education and industry can encourage the advancement of national science and technology.