Tabanan Short of Over 800 Teachers from Kindergarten to Junior High School

Commission IV of the Tabanan Regency DPRD held a working meeting with the relevant regional apparatus organisations (OPDs) in the DPRD Meeting Room, Tabanan, on Tuesday (31/3/2026). One of the topics discussed was the number of teachers from kindergarten (TK), primary school (SD), to junior high school (SMP) levels in Tabanan, which is considered not yet ideal.

The Head of the Tabanan Education Office, I Gusti Ngurah Darma Utama, revealed that the current number of teachers in the area is recorded at 3,131 people. Darma Utama assessed that the ideal need for teachers in Tabanan reaches 3,935 people.

“Thus, there is still a shortage of more than 800 educators,” said Darma Utama.

He detailed that the educational units in Tabanan consist of 286 primary schools, 38 junior high schools, and 11 state or private kindergartens. The teaching staff in those schools include a composition of civil servant teachers, PPPK, part-time PPPK, non-part-time PPPK who are registered in Dapodik, as well as dedicated teachers or committee contract teachers.

“In efforts to fulfil the educators, 1,996 PPPK teachers have been appointed along with an additional 442 part-time PPPK teachers. However, this number has not yet been able to cover the existing needs,” added Darma Utama.

In addition, Darma Utama mentioned that the distribution of teachers in Tabanan is not even. This is because more teachers are located in urban areas and surroundings such as Tabanan Subdistrict, Kediri, Kerambitan, and Marga. Meanwhile, other areas like Selemadeg Raya, Pupuan, and Baturiti are still short of teachers and heavily rely on committee contract teachers.

According to Darma Utama, the most urgent condition is the need for kindergarten teachers. Over the last 15 years, he said, there has been almost no appointment of kindergarten teachers. Even in the latest part-time PPPK recruitment, only one kindergarten teacher was accommodated.

“Currently, the total number of available kindergarten teachers is only 11 people,” he added.

The Tabanan Education Office, he continued, will propose additional teacher formations to the Regent of Tabanan through the BKPSDM. He mentioned that teacher data has also been requested by the working partners of Commission X of the DPR RI as material for policies at the central level.

The Chairman of Commission IV of the Tabanan DPRD, I Gusti Komang Wastana, emphasised that the distribution of educators must be a serious concern to avoid disparities in educational services between regions. “Do not let there be schools that have excess teachers, while in other areas they are short,” he said.

Wastana also highlighted the impact of PPPK recruitment which opens opportunities for educators from outside the region, even outside Bali. According to him, this condition needs to be balanced with strengthening competencies based on local wisdom.

“Teachers from outside Bali need to be given briefings on language, customs, and local culture so they can adapt to the educational environment, especially in Tabanan,” he concluded.