Non-Civil Servant Teachers Live in Uncertainty, Gerindra Politician Warns of Potential Neglect

The uncertainty experienced by non-civil servant or honorary teachers in various regions is deemed not merely an administrative and technical civil service issue. Azis Subekti, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the Gerindra faction, emphasised that this matter concerns the state’s constitutional responsibility to guarantee national education. According to Azis, millions of honorary teachers have long been the backbone of Indonesian education, especially in areas still short of civil servants (ASN). “Non-ASN teachers are present not because our education system is ideal, but because the state has not yet fully been able to meet its basic needs, namely ensuring that every child of the nation receives decent education,” said Azis Subekti in his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (5/5/2026). He noted that there are currently around 1.6 million honorary teachers in Indonesia, many of whom live in highly uncertain conditions. Not a few honorary teachers receive incomes far below standards, even as low as Rp300,000 per month. “We are talking about a profession that builds the nation’s future, but there are still teachers paid below a living wage. This is not just economic disparity; it is a denial of the dignity of educators,” he stated. Azis stressed that the Indonesian Constitution has actually provided a strong foundation through Article 31 of the 1945 Constitution, which affirms every citizen’s right to education, the state’s obligation to fund it, and the mandate to allocate at least 20% of the state budget for education.