National Headlines: Teachers' Pay Falls as UI Students Protest
Several articles about political and social events on Tempo’s National channel have attracted the attention of the majority of readers. The news includes the reason for teachers’ salaries falling in 2026, UI students’ plan for weekend protests, and a string of calls for Indonesia to withdraw from the Board of Peace.
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Here is a summary of the most popular national news on Thursday, 6 March 2026.
Reason for Teachers’ Salary Decline This Year
Head of Advocacy of Teachers at the Association for Education and Teachers (P2G) Iman Zanatul Haeri highlighted a significant decrease in the share of education budget transfers from the central government to the regions over the past three years. He said the policy directly affected the ability of regional governments to fund teachers, especially contract teachers (PPPK).
Based on data from P2G, in 2024 total education budget reached Rp 655 trillion. Of that, transfers to the regions and village funds amounted to Rp 346 trillion or 52.82 percent. However in 2025, although total education budget rose to Rp 724 trillion, transfers to the regions were only around Rp 347.9 trillion or 48.08 percent.
The decline was sharper in 2026. From total education budget Rp 769 trillion, transfers to the regions shrank to Rp 264 trillion or only 34.33 percent. “This means that although total education budget rises, the share transferred to the regions actually falls drastically,” Iman said when contacted on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
Iman stated that the reduction in transfers affected more than 500 local governments that experienced reduced education funding. As a result, several regions are said to be unable to pay full salaries to PPPK teachers.
Read more here
UI Students to Hold Weekend Against
Universitas Indonesia students said they would hold mass protests if demands for President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw Indonesia from the Board of Peace (BoP) are not met.
Rep of UI Students for Justice in Palestine, Razan Diandra Fatahillah, said the planned mass action titled “Weekend Melawan” had been planned by the UI Students Alliance and civil society coalition with the assumption that Prabowo would ignore the demands.
“Cross-movement mass action will be held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” Razan told Tempo on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
Weekend Melawan aims to trigger similar actions in other regions so that the essence of demanding Indonesia exit BoP and the withdrawal of the plan to send Indonesian troops to Gaza can be considered by Prabowo.
Razan said the Weekend Melawan action will begin on Friday, 6 March at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex, and the following day at the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue area in Central Jakarta. “For Sunday, location is tentative,” she said.
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Mass Demand for Indonesia to Leave BoP
The calls for Indonesia withdraw its membership from the Board of Peace (BoP) have grown louder after the United States and its allies, Israel, launched airstrikes into Iran’s territory over the weekend.
The military operation killed several important figures in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US initiated the BoP.
The incident sparked strong public criticism in Indonesia, including from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), civil society coalitions, universities, and students urging President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw Indonesia’s membership from BoP.
Through a letter to the Office of the State Secretariat, the UI Alliance of Students urged President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw Indonesia from BoP.
Alliance representative Fathimah Azzahra said the letter was a final warning for Prabowo to fulfill his promises. In early February, Prabowo said he would withdraw Indonesia from BoP if the aim did not align with Palestinian independence.
“We ultimatum the President and his officials to meet these demands within 3x24 hours before the people’s wrath descends,” Fathimah said in a written statement on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
Read more here
Andi Adam Faturahman and Dinda Shabrina contributed to this piece
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