“World Teachers’ Day is not merely a ceremonial occasion, but a global advocacy moment,” said Komnas Perempuan member Devi Rahayu in a statement from Jakarta on Tuesday.
She made the remarks in response to the World Teachers’ Day observance.
Komnas Perempuan commended the dedication of teachers in instilling values of human rights, justice, gender equality, tolerance, and care work within educational spaces.
The commission called on the government and non-government educational institutions to allocate education budgets that prioritize teacher welfare, not just infrastructure.
“This includes recognizing care work as vital labor that determines educational success and providing protection against gender-based violence in the education sector, including safe and victim-friendly complaint mechanisms,” Devi Rahayu said.
The government was also urged to ensure decent income guarantees and social protection for all teachers, both in urban areas and in Indonesia’s underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions (known as 3T).
According to Devi, the government must fulfill its obligations under international instruments, including Article 11 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which guarantees women’s right to work under fair, safe, and equal conditions.
She also cited Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Targets 4 and 5, linking quality education with gender equality, as well as International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190, which affirms workers’ rights to be free from violence and harassment at work.
“Teacher welfare is not merely a demand but a constitutional obligation of the state. Without prosperous teachers, quality education is impossible to achieve,” Devi concluded.
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Translator: Anita, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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