Portrait of a Jakarta Honorary Teacher: Cycling 6 Km, Salary Rp 2 Million, and the Pressure of Living Costs

Serving as a teacher is a noble path that is not always easy to follow. For Abdul Azis (45), an honorary teacher at MI Nurul Islam 1 Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, there are significant sacrifices behind his mission to educate the nation’s children. Every day, the teacher of Islamic Creed, Jurisprudence, and Arts pedals a folding bicycle to school while carrying his eldest daughter, Azalea (11). His daughter, now in fourth grade at primary school, also attends the same school where Azis teaches. The small bicycle is not actually his, but borrowed from his nephew. However, since November 2025, the bicycle has become Azis’s only means of transport after his motorbike was stolen from in front of his house. Ironically, the loss occurred amid the family’s joy of welcoming their second child. “Initially, I had an old motorbike, but in November, my motorbike was stolen. It coincided with the blessing of our second child,” said Azis when met by Kompas.com at his school on Wednesday (22/4/2026). Every morning at 05:30 WIB, Azis sets off from his rented house in the densely populated Tegal Alur area, Kalideres, West Jakarta. He covers about six kilometres to Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) Nurul Islam 1 in Kamal Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta. The journey is not easy. Azis must share the road with large container trucks. He spends about 30 minutes to reach the school, passing through markets, main roads, and inclines that often force him to dismount and push the bicycle while his daughter remains seated on the back seat. “Sometimes my child says, ‘Abi, be careful, watch out for the big car, move over a bit.’ Even sometimes we get off the bicycle to avoid large vehicles, so we take the pavement,” said Azis.