Dosen is actually an honourable, proud, and (should be) prosperous\nprofession. But for now, becoming a lecturer is apparently not an\nattractive choice for university graduates. #JanganJadiDosen is a\nhashtag that recently went viral on social media platform X, formerly\nTwitter, which has become a medium for academics to vent about the\nreality of the welfare of the lecturer profession in Indonesia, which is\noften disproportionate to their heavy workload.<\/p>\n
At various well-known universities in Indonesia, a prospective doctor\nor doctor accepted as a lecturer will certainly only receive a basic\nsalary of Rp 2.345 million per month. This salary is only enough to meet\ndaily food needs \u2013 and that too only a simple one. A lecturer who does\nnot have a side job cannot hope to save money, buy a two-wheeled motor\nvehicle, let alone buy a house to live in.<\/p>\n
With the average lecturer salary in Indonesia only around Rp 3.36\nmillion per month, below the lowest regional minimum wage, it is\nunderstandable if the interest of university graduates to become\nlecturers is declining. If this condition is left unchecked without any\nguarantee of welfare for lecturers, the threat of a lecturer\nregeneration crisis will certainly loom over the world of higher\neducation in Indonesia. One can imagine, who would be interested in\nbecoming a lecturer if their salary is barely enough or even\ninsufficient. Lecturers may now be the last choice for graduates with a\nMaster\u2019s degree \u2013 especially a doctorate.<\/p>\n
Ironic<\/p>\n
Becoming a lecturer is not an easy thing. But ironically, the welfare\nof lecturers is still a big question mark. Someone who has struggled to\nstudy and pursue knowledge even abroad, when they return, their salary\nis no different from that of a factory worker. In fact, not a few\nlecturers have salaries below the regional minimum wage. For this\nreason, it is understandable if many graduates are now reluctant to\nbecome lecturers. They prefer other jobs that offer higher income.<\/p>\n
A preliminary survey conducted by young people who are members of\n\u201cMelbourne Bergerak\u201d in the period 17-20 May 2026 found a worrying fact.\nThe survey, which involved Indonesian student respondents at the\nMaster\u2019s and Doctoral levels in Australia, showed that the majority of\nscholars studying abroad said they were not interested in becoming\nlecturers in Indonesia because the salary was very low. They are well\naware that not much can be expected from the salary of a lecturer who\nonly teaches.<\/p>\n
Instead of being able to teach calmly because of an adequate salary,\na study found that the average basic salary of lecturers in Indonesia is\nstill around Rp 3.36 million per month. What is more worrying, the\nsurvey shows that until mid-2026, there are still more than 40 percent\nof lecturers \u2013 especially in Private Universities \u2013 who receive an\nincome below Rp 3 million per month. This figure is even below the\nstandard Regional Minimum Wage in many major cities in Indonesia. Truly\nironic.<\/p>\n
It is impossible for a lecturer\u2019s family to live only relying on the\nsalary they earn from the university where they work. In the mass media,\nit was reported that a number of lecturers were forced to moonlight as\nonline drivers or ojol to meet their family\u2019s needs. A lecturer who\nalready has one or two children certainly cannot survive if they only\nrely on their teaching salary. It is fortunate if a lecturer can get a\nresearch project from the local government, the Directorate General of\nHigher Education, or from other donors. But lecturers like this can be\ncounted on one hand.<\/p>\n
Apart from minimal salaries, lecturers in their daily work life\ngenerally also bear additional administrative duties. When their study\nprogramme is accredited, the lecturer concerned must be willing to work\novertime. The overtime pay compensation received is usually no more than\none million rupiah, with the workload of compiling forms that takes\ndays. This is done for the sake of loyalty to the university where they\nwork.<\/p>\n
In the work carried out each semester, lecturers are required to\nalways publish scientific papers in reputable international journals,\nmanage functional positions, and fulfil Lecturer Workload obligations.\nEven in the 2026 Lecturer Certification process, lecturers must struggle\nwith various strict portfolio forms and performance documents for the\nthree pillars of higher education. This workload is often not\nproportional to the income received. For now, it is impossible for a\nlecturer with less than five years of service to meet daily living needs\nif they already have a family and children.<\/p>\n
Regeneration of Lecturers<\/p>\n
The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology\nRegulation Number 44 of 2024 concerning the Profession, Career, and\nIncome of Lecturers actually guarantees the welfare of lecturers with a\ndecent wage standard. This regulation stipulates that a lecturer\u2019s\nsalary must not be below the district\/city minimum wage, must be above\nthe UMK. In addition, lecturers are also entitled to a number of\nallowances attached to their income. However, this Permendikbudristek is\napparently only a paper tiger.<\/p>\n
The fate of lecturers who live hand-to-mouth, even in deprivation, is\nnot a figment of the imagination. The best graduates of universities now\nthink realistically. They prefer to work in the private sector or in\ncompanies that offer higher salaries than becoming lecturers. Admittedly\nor not, low lecturer salaries have triggered the most dangerous domino\neffect: the death of the younger generation\u2019s interest in pursuing a\ncareer in academia.<\/p>\n
For Master\u2019s and Doctoral graduates with high competence, becoming a\nlecturer is a counterproductive investment. They have to spend years and\nconsiderable costs to earn the highest degree, but the income they\nreceive is far from commensurate.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-problem-of-welfare-and-regeneration-of-lecturers-1782100316", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }