DPR Member Selly Andriany Highlights Teacher Welfare Disparities

House of Representatives (DPR) member Selly Andriany Gantina has turned her attention to teacher welfare, highlighting persistent disparities in the well-being of educators, especially those serving outside Java. “There are still teachers receiving salaries of around Rp 125,000 to Rp 130,000 per month. Such conditions are far from an acceptable standard of living,” she said following a hearing between the DPR Legislation Body (Baleg) and the Executive Board of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) at the Nusantara I Building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, 2 February 2026. She noted that the problem is not confined to remote areas but also affects teachers on the island of Java.

During the session, teachers presented the real conditions they face in the teaching and learning process. The main issues raised included low welfare and job uncertainty due to the high number of honorary teachers, the limited reach of the Government Employee with Work Agreement (P3K) scheme, and the insufficient recruitment of State Civil Apparatus (ASN) positions, which has failed to meet the actual needs on the ground.

Selly also highlighted the obstacles teachers encounter in accessing the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) system, even though this data is a crucial requirement for the ASN appointment process. She argued that improving and synchronising the teacher database is a fundamental prerequisite for the state to formulate targeted policies regarding the welfare and protection of educators. “If there are still obstacles in areas with relatively adequate infrastructure, we can only imagine the challenges faced by teachers in island regions and remote areas,” she said.

She therefore stressed that the state must ensure decent welfare and protection for all teachers and education personnel, regardless of their ASN status. According to Selly, structuring recruitment formations, improving governance, and paying serious attention to teachers earning below a decent living standard must become priorities, particularly in the regions.