Minister's Circular and the Anxiety of Honorary Teachers Looking Towards 2027

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Circular Letter (SE) from the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen) Number 7 of 2026 marks a new milestone for the fate of hundreds of thousands of honorary teachers in Indonesia. Through this SE, the government on one hand ensures that non-civil servant (ASN) teachers can continue teaching until the end of 2026. However, on the other hand, the policy creates new anxieties for teachers not recorded in the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) as of 31 December 2024. These concerns arise because starting in 2027, the government will eliminate the term ‘honorary staff’ as mandated by Law Number 20 of 2023 on ASN. “For the continuity of learning implementation in education units managed by local governments, a policy is needed so that these non-ASN teachers can continue to carry out their duties,” states the SE. The circular also mentions that based on education data as of 31 December 2024, there are still 237,196 active non-ASN teachers teaching in public schools managed by local governments. Under the regulation, non-ASN teachers are permitted to teach with two conditions: being registered in the education data until 31 December 2024 and still actively serving in public schools owned by local governments. Non-ASN teachers who hold educator certificates and meet the workload requirements will receive teacher professional allowances. Meanwhile, teachers who do not yet meet certification requirements or lack educator certificates will receive incentives from the Ministry of Education. Local governments are also allowed to provide additional income according to their regional budget capacity. Mendikdasmen Abdul Mu’ti emphasised that the elimination of the honorary teacher term is a consequence of implementing the ASN Law. “The ASN Law states that the term ‘honorary’ will no longer exist, it will be gone,” said Mu’ti at the Bakom Office, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (6/5/2026). According to Mu’ti, the regulation was actually planned to take full effect in 2024, but its implementation will only become effective starting in 2027. “So this is actually a consequence of implementing the ASN Law which should have applied in 2024, fully in 2024, but due to various considerations, it will only be implemented effectively starting in 2027,” Mu’ti explained. Meanwhile, teachers who have not passed certification will be directed to become Part-Time Government Employees with Work Agreements (PPPK). Regarding the salary for Part-Time PPPK, he said, it falls under the authority of local governments. Nevertheless, the central government is open to joint solutions if regions face fiscal difficulties. Mu’ti also clarified that technical issues regarding ASN status are under the authority of the Ministry of PAN-RB. This policy has begun to attract the attention of the DPR. House of Representatives Commission X plans to summon Mendikdasmen Abdul Mu’ti for a working meeting on 19 May 2026.