Kemendikdasmen emphasises that honorary teachers are not prohibited from teaching in 2027.

JAKARTA — The Directorate General of Teachers and Education Personnel (GTK) at the Ministry of Education, Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has reaffirmed that non‑ASN, or honorary, teachers are not prohibited from teaching in 2027. Director General Nunuk Suryani told a meeting with Commission X of the House of Representatives on Tuesday (19 May 2026) that the Circular Letter (SE) of Mendikdasmen No. 7 of 2026 was not intended to stop honorary teachers but to serve as a reference for local governments in arranging the status of non‑ASN teachers. ‘There is no statement in the SE that says non‑ASN teachers are prohibited from teaching in 2027. So what is being organised is their status, not halting teachers,’ she said. She noted that the policy does not apply to private schools. ‘In fact, this SE is not a policy to end honorary teachers, but to provide a reference so that teachers can still teach and local governments have considerations to retain them,’ Nunuk added. She acknowledged that there were differing interpretations in several regions after the SE was issued. Nunuk said local governments now have policy certainty over the deployment of non‑ASN teachers to ensure the continuity of learning. ‘Non‑ASN teachers can still teach; there is no need to worry,’ she said. During the meeting, Nunuk also disclosed that there had been cases of honorary teachers being stood down in several areas, including West Java, after the SE was issued. ‘In West Java, for instance, thousands of teachers were stood down after this SE, before being recalled to teach,’ she explained. In addition to clarifying the status of non‑ASN teachers, the government is preparing income support for honorary teachers covered by the SE. The Ministry notes there are 137,764 non‑ASN teachers eligible to receive the Rp 2 million monthly professional allowance after possessing a teaching certificate and meeting workload requirements.