Commission X: PPPK Teacher Status Conversion Must Guarantee Career Progression and Equitable Distribution
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR), MY Esti Wijayati, stated that the plan to convert the status of Government Employees with Work Agreements (PPPK) teachers into Civil Servants (PNS) must guarantee career certainty while simultaneously improving the equitable distribution of educators across various regions.
“The plan to convert PPPK teacher status to PNS must be designed as a state instrument to resolve two issues at once: teacher career uncertainty and the inequality of educator distribution between schools and regions,” Esti said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
She assessed that the change in employment status should not stop at administrative aspects alone, but must be accompanied by certainty regarding rights, income, length of service, and career development pathways for PPPKS teachers.
Furthermore, Esti also requested that the government prepare an adequate budget for part-time PPPK teachers and educational staff who are to be converted to full-time status. According to her, the scheme must provide opportunities for status upgrades to full-time PPPK with decent income.
Commission X of the DPR, she added, will fight for the necessary budget requirements for both part-time PPPK teachers and educational staff during the discussion of the status conversion policy.
In addition, Esti requested that the government provide affirmation for senior teachers who have served for many years, particularly those with good performance records, certifications, and those stationed in areas facing teacher shortages. She believes that years of service should serve as a basis for affirmation in the conversion process, rather than becoming a hindrance due to increasing age while waiting for the resolution of employment status.
The government is deemed to need to ensure that the transition process does not cause teachers to lose their jobs, experience a decrease in income, or suffer interruptions in their length of service.
“Recognition of years of service is vital so that the change in status does not start from zero and erase the dedication previously provided,” she said.
Furthermore, Esti requested that the government draft a national roadmap for teacher restructuring that includes target groups, principles of affirmation, formation needs, placement patterns, protection during the transition period, and certainty for PPPK teachers who do not fall within the PNS quota.
“That roadmap must be announced before the selection process opens so that teachers do not continue to receive inconsistent information from various agencies,” she said.
She advised that teacher restructuring must be part of the improvement of national education governance. Esti emphasised that the status conversion policy would not resolve the issue if it merely increases the number of Civil Servants without improving teacher distribution and the quality of educational services in various regions.