Basic and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti said the ministry is seeking to increase the monthly stipend for contract teachers from Rp300,000 to Rp500,000 (USD19 to USD32), starting next year.
"We've allocated funds for contract teachers, and we've proposed raising the allowance to Rp500,000 per teacher per month," he told reporters at the presidential palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The proposal has been discussed with the House of Representatives’ Commission X, which oversees education policy. Mu'ti said the commission supports efforts to improve teacher welfare.
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In a separate move, the ministry has also proposed extending the Indonesia Smart Program (PIP) – previously limited to elementary through high school students – to kindergartens. Under the plan, each student would receive Rp450,000 (USD29) annually starting this year.
"The number of kindergarten recipients will be adjusted based on the budget allocation agreed upon with Commission X," Mu'ti said.
On Tuesday, the minister also proposed an additional Rp14.4 trillion (USD918 million) in funding during a meeting with Commission X at the national parliament.
He said the ministry's current budget ceiling of Rp55 trillion (about USD3.56 billion) is not sufficient to cover all priority programs for the 2026 fiscal year.
"There are still many planned programs and activities that remain unfunded under the current ceiling," he said.
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Translator: Fathur R./Mentari D., Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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