Mendikdasmen Circular No. 7/2026 as a Bridge to Implementing the ASN Law

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Primary and Secondary (Kemendikdasmen) has stressed that the Circular of the Minister (SE) Mendikdasmen No. 7 of 2026 acts as a bridge for the implementation of Law No. 20 of 2023 on the Civil State Apparatus (ASN), and is therefore temporary and not in conflict with that law. Deputy Minister Atip Latipulhayat said the circular is not part of the statutory hierarchy, as regulated by Law No. 12 of 2011, and is thus technical guidance that merely contains implementation directives. Accordingly, SE Mendikdasmen No. 7/2026 is a transitional and limited instrument aimed solely at preventing temporary vacancies in teaching positions. Potential breaches may arise if the circular is applied without reference to its technical contents, for example when local governments hire non‑ASN contract teachers beyond those recorded in the 2024 Dapodik. ‘Thus it does not create new provisions contradicting higher statutes. The risk lies in implementation that ignores the circular’s technical content,’ said Atip. Habieb, a member of Commission X, questioned whether a circular is sufficiently robust to suspend or grant exemptions from higher norms. Without stronger legal backing, regents and mayors face audit risk from the BPK concerning the legality of paying non‑ASN teachers. He also noted that the circular is an emergency solution to maintain educational services during the transition and called for medium- and long-term solutions from Kemendikdasmen regarding the future and legal certainty for non‑ASN honorary teachers.