House Member Says PIP Quota Comparison at Ministry of Religious Affairs Far Lower Than Other Institutions

Member of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDI Perjuangan faction, Selly Andriany Gantina, has assessed that the comparison between education under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and that under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is like the difference between earth and sky. She made the statement during a Hearing with Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar and his staff while discussing education assistance funds at the ministry. “If we compare the PIP target of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which is 20.8 million, while the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ PIP is only 2 million, it is clear this is like earth and sky, a very far comparison,” Selly Gantina said, as quoted on Thursday, 2 July 2026. In addition to PIP, she also highlighted the comparison of the Smart Indonesia Card between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, teaching incentives, and the fate of teachers, which she deemed vastly unequal. This includes the passing grade issue for a number of madrasah teachers that has yet to find a clear resolution from the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform, despite a firm statement from the House leadership during a previous audience. Therefore, the former Acting Regent of Cirebon stressed that the PDI Perjuangan faction would oversee this case. In addition to urging the Ministry of Religious Affairs to provide a larger quota for PIP and the Smart Indonesia Card, she will also push for teacher incentives for the welfare of educators. “There must be no perception that education under the Ministry of Religious Affairs is marginalised. And we in Commission VIII will oversee this until a sense of justice for them is achieved,” she asserted. Regarding the ongoing revision of the State Civil Apparatus Law, Selly expressed hope for regulatory changes that favour teachers and education personnel within the Ministry of Religious Affairs.