JPPI Urges State to Honour Honorary Teachers' Dedication: Set Minimum Wage
National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), Ubaid Matraji, stated that the Circular Letter (SE) of the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education No. 7 of 2026 has yet to deliver justice for honorary teachers or non-civil servant (ASN) teachers. This is because there remains concern that they could be dismissed from teaching in public schools by December this year.
According to him, honorary teachers have served selflessly over the years. They remain dedicated until their hair turns white and their bodies grow frail. However, Ubaid noted, instead of recognition, they receive a “letter of eviction” through the December 2026 deadline. He urged the state to value the service tenure of honorary teachers.
“Honorary teachers in public schools, who clearly serve at the heart of state institutions, are instead left to live in misery with a status that is disregarded,” Ubaid emphasised.
In his view, without a decent salary, honorary teachers are like casual labourers because there is no certainty about their future. Ubaid warned that the dismissal of honorary teachers could lower the quality of education.
“How can educational quality be achieved if teachers are forced to teach on an empty stomach? Minimal salaries lower than those of manual labourers force teachers to steal time from teaching to become online ojek drivers, for example, just to survive,” Ubaid explained.
On this basis, JPPI is pressing the government to guarantee the status certainty and welfare of honorary teachers in public schools as well as private schools.
The government must prioritise the appointment of non-ASN teachers (both public and private) as ASN or PPPK. This should be done immediately based on needs data and a map for completing the appointment of non-ASN teachers.
He also called on the government to implement a national minimum wage standard for teachers. This is to ensure that no teachers, especially honorary ones in public and private schools, are paid below a decent living standard. “Do not let the education budget be exhausted on welfare for SPPG employees, while teachers, who are most entitled to the education budget, are left to slowly perish due to uncertainty in their fate,” Ubaid concluded.
According to DPR RI member Hetifah, the SE from the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education is part of organising educational personnel in accordance with the ASN Law mandate, as well as eliminating the term honorary teacher by converting them to PPPK.
The SE from the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education No. 7 of 2026 on the Assignment of Honorary Teachers is considered to provide certainty for non-ASN teachers to resume teaching.
The SE from the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education 7/2026 should not be a threat to honorary teachers. It is a state recognition, a temporary guarantee that is needed, and an initial signal of reform in educational personnel governance.
This policy will fully apply from 1 January 2027. According to the regulations, non-ASN teachers in public schools may only serve until 31 December 2026.
The government is urged to resolve the controversy regarding teachers with honorary or non-ASN status in public schools, limited until 31 December 2026, through affirmative measures.